Why are *you* afraid to hire a lawyer? You'd only be protecting your rights and ensuring that you fulfill your legal obligations. Even a "simple" divorce is a complicated process, and it is priceless to have someone on your side telling you where the law stands and what you can expect. Hiring a lawyer doesn't make you a bad guy; it makes you smart. Also, others on this board have managed to do their divorce without the help of a lawyer, but I understand that it requires a lot of legwork....and in the end, I do recall some of them hired a lawyer for a short consultation just to check over the proceedings and make sure that everything was in order.
And so what if he did call a lawyer "for real"? Like, you, he has every right to get informed and protect himself.