Oh yeah, those attorneys are ruthless and there's about 4-5 firms in the City that buy almost all of the tax sales. They don't even want the properties, they're just trying to gain that temporary lien ownership so that they can charge the attorney fees on top of the liens+interest.

The attorney fees are legal, but there is a maximum amount they're allowed to charge which increases over time to a set limit. It's supposed to cover the cost of the attorney who helps the bidder, but these vultures have set themselves up as both 'the buyer' and 'the attorney', and they always charge residents exactly the maximum.