Another tactic: locking in prices with tailored multiyear agreements with formulas governing whether clients grant or refuse a requested rate increase.

WSJ: Law Firms Raise Rates, but Ease Blow With Discounts

And why did Britain refuse to rejoin the European exchange-rate mechanism, membership of which is seen by many as a prerequisite for joining the euro?

ECONOMIST: Europe��s single currency

For as people refuse to buy the rolled over debt at current prices, the interest rate that has to be paid to roll over that debt rises and thus Italy becomes insolvent.

FORBES: The Euro: Solving the Crisis