I was in the trenches as a courthouse rat for many years. Appellate practice is a small sub-specialty that is relatively rare (and generally needs to be supported by a large firm) and the top sub-specialists like Cooper & Kirk demand top dollar because they win big cases, and win them decisively.
Judges do not award attorney's fees as a matter of routine - only when permitted by statute and only when the losing party has clearly persisted in a real loser of a case. The amount will probably be trimmed somewhat - but not much. And padding the hours, while engaged in by some, is frowned on at this level (especially with opposing counsel ready to flyspeck every tenth of an hour).
When the denizens of Chitown get tired of paying through the nose, they'll have to throw the bums out. Or move.
There are no shortage of lawyers in any field in this country. The unemployment line for new associates would likely spread out from California to the New York Islands.