I think what you described is the kind of shit you see out of a small firm that deals with your average dude off the street. Filing papers is a great way to make a client think you are working hard for them and a great way to rack up billable hours. But I assure you, when you hire a top law firm they are fully aware that they are billing you at $400 and hour for the associate, 600-1000 an hour for the partner, 250-350 an hour for paralegals, and 150 an hour for assistants to do the work involved.

At the top level of lawyering, people genuinely are just good at their jobs. And because they recognize that reputation is everything, they try to stay away from hardball tactics and being a sleazeball. Often times, opposing counsel on one matter, is your co-counsel on another matter. The legal world is a lot smaller than you'd think; those disgustingly high paid lawyers don't like to resort to bully tactics. They certainly don't file motions to just bill more hours to a client. No amount of billable hours is worth losing a good reputation with your clients.