If what you are saying is true (and it sure seems to be) then we should also expect a decrease in the quality of available attorneys. That would also be in agreement of my recent real-life experiences.

Now I know it's a tough job blah, blah, but seriously the best experiences I've had with attorneys recently is when they did nothing but held my through the unnecessary complex and unfriendly legal system. I felt I got my money's worth in those instances from their familiarity of jumping through bureaucratic hoops. But I recently spent money on a lawyer that completely screwed everything up. I am certain that I would have been better off cluelessly stumbling into court.