Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Texas

Reasonable legal fees?

I have fully paid off the house in which i currently live. however, the deed to the house has not been released to me due to unpaid legal fees being claimed by the current deedholder. according to the deedholder's attorney, i owe $10,000 in legal fees for--name removed--past dispute involving unpaid taxes (which were subsequently paid in full). I have received an official notice stating that the lawyer worked 50 hours on the case, but nothing stating the specifics of the work done. as far as i know, this time was accumulated in making 5 phone calls and sending 3 certified letters, nothing more. I am thinking about disputing the fees, but am not sure how to prove that these fees are neither reasonable nor justified. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


Asked on 12/08/03, 11:07 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Cheryl Rivera Smith The Smith Law Firm

Re: Reasonable legal fees?

There are many things that could have happened. Did they file a suit against you for payment of these taxes? Was it a continuing problem? They may have had to file a report for the ongoing tax payments as they were made, etc. If what you say is true, $10,000 seems a little hefty to me, so it may be worth your while to contact an attorney who knows about this type of situation to dispute that amount. The problem with fighting it in court is that it would cost probably half that much for your legal representation, and then you may not win. Best of luck.

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Answered on 12/08/03, 4:31 pm


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