Vino I have a Schwab account myself. I had 403 dividend shares in my account and still do. I have not received the $150 letter from Schwab, but I did check into the legal opinion situation and was told by both lawyers I called that the problem isn't greedy lawyers, but instead your (and mine) greedy brokerage, who shorted against those dividend shares years ago. A legal opinion is required by all selling shareholders to avoid committing securities fraud by representing that your shares were not shorted, pre-sold or borrowed against. If your broker shorted against those shares years ago, you cannot verify those representations, only a securities lawyer can.
Also, when you hire that lawyer, he is YOUR lawyer, not the company's. The fees he charges are his own as they have to be. He is YOUR independent counsel.