3 Grim Legal Realities Freelancers Need to Accept

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Barbed Wire ImageIn an ideal universe, the law is there to protect both parties in a contract equally. The freelancer and the client would both have guards to prevent the other from doing something unscrupulous or somehow taking advantage of the other.

Of course, in an ideal universe, justice would be free, it would be immediate and it would never make any mistakes.

Unfortunately though, we don’t live in a perfect world and, in many regards, that legal playing field is very much tilted against the freelancer. Not only do clients, typically, have more money but the global nature of the Web and, at times, the laws themselves only serve to make things worse.

On that note though, here are just some of the grim realities that our imperfect system has created and what they mean for you as you try to earn a living selling your writing. [Read more…]

5 Legal Concerns To Watch in 2011

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FireworksAs we get ready to turn over the new year, we get a chance to both evaluate what 2010 meant for us and what we want 2011 to look like.

But while we each are making our personal evaluations and decisions, we also have other shifts and changes around us. For example, the Internet is a constantly-changing environment, with trends, sites and companies rising and falling in a strage chorus, all of it affecting our profession.

Another area is the law and legal issues. Though it has something of a reputation for being fixed and static, nothing could be farther from the truth. As the Internet has changed, the law has struggled to keep up and court decisions, legislation and lobbying have all worked to make the legal climate an ever-changing one.

With that in mind, what are some of the legal issues that you can expect to see in 2011? It’s almost impossible to say but, looking back at 2010, we can make a few educated guesses of where things might be heading.

On that note, here are five legal areas to watch in the new year. [Read more…]

7 Reasons Why You Should Always Have a Written Contract

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One of the thorniest and most uncomfortable issues freelancers routinely face is the issue of contracts when it comes to getting jobs.

Part of it is because, as freelancers, we often take jobs with people know, trust and are good friends with. Other times it is because clients have urgent needs and there may not be enough time to hammer out a formal contract before the deadline passes.

However, this is almost always a bad idea. Taking jobs or receiving work without a contract is a grave disservice to both sides. While contracts may slow things down and cause brief moments of tension in the short term, they can help things run much more smoothly and perventing much bigger problems down the road.

If you’re taking jobs without a contract, especially on recurring gigs, you may be setting yourself up for big problems down the road and, if you’re a client reading this, the lack of a written deal can come back and bite you too. Need a reason? Here are seven good ones. [Read more…]

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