Do We Have To Pay These Attorney Fees? [iowa]
My wife and I recently purchased a home, choosing to seek a real estate attorney rather than an agent, as we knew the sellers and they didn't need to list the house or anything.
In the process of seeking a real estate attorney, my wife reached out to Attorney A over a phone call, asking him to draft a Purchase Agreement. These are regularly 18-25 pages in order to include all the legally protective information required.
Attorney A responded a few days later with a 3 page document that included very little information. My wife called him, asking him to rewrite the document. He responded a few days later with a 5 page document that was slightly more inspiring than the former.
Feeling discouraged, we forgot about Attorney A and I reached out to Attorney B, asking how much they charged for a Purchase Agreement. All things said and done, they revised it several times and created our final, 23 page document for $250. We used this with the sellers.
A month ago, Attorney A sent my wife a $625 invoice. She responded via email, thanking him for his help, but saying he ultimately delivered a totally unserviceable Purchase Agreement.
Yesterday, he responded to her email, threatening legal action if we didn't pay the invoice.
I might be totally out of touch on this, so I am open to a reality check. Are we obligated to pay these attorney fees, despite having no contract with him or written agreement to work with him? Is there any way to contest these fees, given his work was nonfunctional for us?
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