An interesting survey conducted by the Canadian Lawyer suggests that using a large firm (more than 25 lawyers) to handle a two-day civil trial costs clients on average over twice as much as using a 5-25 attorney firm.  The survey results can be read here.  The large firm average (in Canadian dollars) was $51,875 with a high of $165,368.  The small firm average was $21,790 with a high of $36,691.