You’re managing risk and what you pay for is derisking yourself. You be the judge of what that is worth to you, but it’s not zero and it’s not always your attorney’s fee either.

Retaining an attorney is a little bit like feeding a shark in order to catch a ride on its back and do some jousting with your opponent, while your opponent is entertaining a possibly bigger shark or two, and has possibly infested the place with piranhas.

There is a chance of de-risking yourself, but the chance of a bloodbath is even higher.

And yeah, the sharks are trying to convince you that they are "your" sharks, while it is quite clear that their mates are the other sharks.