I don't see how you have a choice to not hire a lawyer. It shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred dollars to find someone to read through the contracts an

I don't see how you have a choice to not hire a lawyer. It shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred dollars to find someone to read through the contracts and tell you what they think, i.e. are you screwed or not. If $40,000 dollars is at stake, a few hundred dollars is probably worth it to get a professional opinion.