Over two days last week, baseball star Barry Bonds tried to persuade top San Francisco defense lawyer John Keker to represent him in a federal perjury case. But the talks started faltering when the multimillionaire slugger asked Mr. Keker to handle his case at a steep discount, say several people briefed on the conversations.

Mr. Keker, who charges a $900 hourly rate, thought the request was ridiculous, these people say -- especially since Mr. Bonds made nearly $60 million in salary between 2005 and 2007 alone. Mr. Keker also...