Lawyers charge based on the market, right? They take what the market can bear, but one of the reasons the costs are so high is that they are part of the system and the system has built-in delays. It takes too long, so that's why lawyers' fees go up. I think if we could somehow simplify the system and make it more efficient, fees would come down to the benefit of everyone, except the lawyers.
The other thing is that the Law Society of Upper Canada, and I think other provinces too, now have contingency fees, so that people don't need to pay fees up front to support a civil lawsuit. Of course, that doesn't apply to the criminal side or necessarily to the family side, but it does on the civil. It doesn't help if you're defending.