Hmm, I think there are probably areas where something like what you describe is true, but I don't think something like that is going on re startups in the US. From an attorney's perspective, most of the legal aspects to startups are pretty smooth and ironed out. Startup law is probably one of the more pleasant areas of law to deal with. And some startup lawyers do pretty well, but aside from the ability to invest in your clients (or join them as a GC), it's not known for being particularly lucrative. I.e. if you were a lawyer and your sole concern was making money from your practice, startup law is not the most obvious choice. But there is inherent complexity just because the system has to be able handle all the different types of scenarios that might come up.

That said, I have no doubt that there may be other areas of law or life that are the way they are due to factors like what you describe!