How do people protect themselves from paying "padded fees" when they hire an attorney pro bono?

How does one know if the attorney they select to work an injury case honestly spends "thirty minutes writing an email," "Twenty-five minutes on the phone," or "fifty minutes researching laws pertaining to a case." These time frames are minute when compared to the fee bills presented to many clients, and I don't mean to imply that certain attorney fees are not valid either. What I want to know is who holds trial lawyers accountable for the fee tabs they present to clients who hire them? They appear to have free reign to do as they please but I hope that's not the case. The percentage rate agreed to at the time of contracting with an attorney covers nothing but the risk they are taking in accepting someone's case. To be fair, I cannot see ANY lawyer taking a case pro bono that they are not sure of to begin with. Straight from the start the client has lost 30-33 1/3% of his or her settlement; then come all the fees. Insurance companies make it virtually impossible to get a fair settlement without the aid of an attorney. In the end, the person who was injured hands off a huge chunk of what should help them recover or cope with life. State Insurance Commissioners are a joke and do nothing to help people collect due settlements. Attorneys salivate over the injured who darken their doors. Who protects the clients?