[mschuster91]

> If bar associations tried to set minimum hourly rates, that would be price fixing too.

In Germany, this is the actual way how lawyers operate - anything that ends up at a civil or criminal court is billed according to the fixed set of the Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz (RVG), which means there is a base rate and a multiplier based on the monetary value of what is being argued over.

Only stuff that fully happens outside of the court system is excepted and lawyers are free to make their own negotiations.

This ensures a somewhat level playing field in front of courts.

[082349872349872]

For HN'ers coming from a common law system: the hours in court are probably also fewer, because unless the case is unusually complex, they'll only be arguing about the facts of the matter, not arguing about which precedents to apply.