Really it's pretty much anything. Every case is different and in the law there is no black and white, meaning nothing is simple. Take this scenario, you have a dispute with a lawyer and they draft a legal document with certain statements and legal ramifications. At this point, the wise answer is to hire a lawyer and have them battle it out for you. At say 300 dollars an hour, if drafting a document takes an hour, you've just spent 300 dollars. This doesn't include any research your attorney has to do around the case which is also possible (remember no black and white in the law) or the fees of the administrative assistants to print and mail the response, etc. Your opponent may not be making money while perusing this, but that person isn't paying someone at a billing rate either. Stretching it out only bleeds your reserves to continue the dispute.