About 50 bucks goes for filing the proper legal documents, and a few hundred bucks might go to billable hours. But if you are the legitimate operator, the lawyers never tell you what the money is for. These are simply situations where everyone knows what has to be done, and nobody talks about it. The guy who brings the campaign contribution simply happens to mention that there are some upcoming issues he wants the legislator or judge to be aware of. The same rules apply elsewhere.
Any health inspector can close any restaurant or convenience store at any time.
If they really inspected thoroughly and applied the rules even-handedly and accurately in certain cities, almost every restaurant would be closed today. But there are restaurants open in those cities. Gee, take a guess. That is real life. It's the way in which corruption pervades the system.