George:

My question wasn't meant just to be whining.  I am genuinely curious about how people think about the fees.  For example, what answer would YOU give to why you don't use off the shelf software?

As for going to court, not all courts charge filing fees but when a court charges a $40 fee to file a motion that would have cost the client $500 or $5,000 to draft, the "drag" that the filing fee imposes is modest.

Micah