Q: When can you be required to pay an attorney engaged by someone else?
A divorcing couple owned two houses. They agreed that Party B would get the better house and Party A would take their small and run-down first house. Party A could not get a mortgage for the property because too little was still owed on the original loan and nobody would write a mortgage for that small an amount. Instead, the proposal was for Party A to take a loan to pay off the mortgage, but this required Party B to sign a quit claim agreement. Party B said they were advised by their attorney not to sign the agreement. After the loan fell through, Party B had their attorney call the loan company to inquire about the status and draw up some documents they found satisfactory. Then the attorney wrote an invoice for a bit less than two-hours time at $300 per hour. Party B wants Party A to pay the attorney. Party A never agreed to this, and believed the problem could be solved with no attorney.
A:
Party B may want a helicopter too. Should Party A pay for it?
Sounds like Party A is not liable to pay the attorney bill because Party A never contracted with the attorney for legal services . . . but sounds like Party B did. So don't pay it.
Best of luck to you.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
