Overcharging For Legal Research?

Via Law.com, an article titled Lawsuit Claims Chadbourne Overcharged for Computerized Legal Research, discusses - what some believe to be the widely spread common practice of many law firms - overcharging for legal research. Do really law firms overcharge? Do law firms pay flat fee? Do they have to pay for hidden cost that are posed by the legal databases' providers? How should law firms bill their clients for the time spent on legal research and for the expense incurred when conducting legal research?

A California plaintiffs attorney has filed a lawsuit against a New York-based law firm on behalf of a former client of the firm for what she claims is a hidden but widespread practice within the legal profession: law firms secretly profiting off legal research fees by overcharging clients. Follow: Waggoner v. Chadbourne & Parke, No. BC408693 (Los Angeles Co., Calif., Super. Ct.).

Consumer protection attorney, Patricia Meyer at Patricia A Meyer & Associates, said that many similar law suites are being filed or just about to. She believes this is "unfair business practice" within the legal profession and continues on saying:

I know I'm not the most popular person in town right now, but that's okay. This is something that needs to be corrected.

Any thoughts? Feel free to share your comments!