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Read a report that said over half of freelancers don't have a contract for every job
I was looking at a study from a freelance union site yesterday (the Freelancers Union, I think) and it said 57% of us don't use a contract for every piece of work. That blew my mind. I mean, I've been guilty of it for small stuff, like a quick $200 logo for a friend of a friend, but seeing the number that high is scary. It makes me think about all the times I've just gone off an email chain and a handshake. The report said the main reasons were not wanting to seem difficult and jobs coming up too fast to get one written. But after getting burned once on a website project (about $1,500 worth of work that just... vanished), I started using a simple template for everything. Do you guys use a contract every single time, no matter what, or do you have a price or trust cutoff?
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jake_sullivan5mo ago
My lawyer cousin says a signed email can be a contract, so I just get a "yes" reply now.
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evafoster5mo ago
Oh great, now my "sounds good" text is legally binding. I'm in so much trouble.
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garcia.cameron5mo ago
Reminds me of the time my buddy tried to back out of a group trip after saying "I'm in" in a text. Total mess. Jake_sullivan's cousin would have a field day with that one lol.
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abbyf793mo ago
Actually texts can be binding contracts in some states, but it's not as scary as it sounds. A judge would look at stuff like if money changed hands or if the person relied on that promise. Your buddy's friend probably got off easy because a group trip is usually hard to prove real damages. Still not a bad idea to be careful with "yes" texts though. Do you guys have any rules for backing out of plans without drama?
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