I'm a free agent and I'm tired of begging and pleading with my clients to cut a check for the work I've done. What legal rights do I have? How can I ensure payment without losing a client forever?

-- Anni Layne (alayne@fastcompany.com), August 25, 2000

Answers

Have them sign a free agent agreement in advance that spells out the payment terms and the specific level of work the you are to do. Another cool thing is the variation on an old masons trick.. If they thought the customer may not pay after a fireplace was built was to simply install a thin glass plate accross the entire inside of the chimney as they built it. When they presented the bill for payment if they were put off they told the home owner to just call them when they were ready to pay the bill and get their fireplace to work.

After a week or so they would get an irritated call from the home owner saying they were nw ready to pay the bill the mason would them say "great have the payment ready in cash. He would go to the house collect the cash, get out his ladder and go to the top of the chimney with a long pole, lower it down and smash away all the glass rendering the fireplace in fine working order.

Moral of the story see if you can get paid for most of the work on an as you go basis. Lastly in some states you are probably covered by "asticen" lein laws, these go back to the 1800's but are still used in court today.

good luck, just some thoughts......Geo

-- Geo (adprintman@aol.com), September 30, 2000.