You know that old saying: "Only WASPs pay retail"? That used to describe the legal world too. There was a time when blue-chip clients scrutinized the bills of their outside counsel about as much as their country club dues.

Sadly, those good old days are gone. Now, even the WASPs have wised up (or have they just faded away?). Everybody, it seems, is looking for a deal—and it’s no longer taboo to ask.