As clients demand greater control over their legal costs, law firms and lawyers are getting more used to talking about money early and often.

Still, without precise cost projections and constant communication with clients, law firms can find themselves in a stand-off after the legal work is done.

Just ask Duane Morris. In a recently filed lawsuit, a former client is accusing the firm of overcharging him by nearly $700,000, blowing past the estimate he received at the outset of the case.