A good contract can secure a comfortable and lower-stress lifestyle, whereas a bad contract can really leave you screwed. Contracts are the single most important business tool that we, as professionals, have at our disposal to determine the direction of our professional relationships.

Contracts are vital for establishing mutual expectations and ground- rules -- the keys to a good relationship. Good contracts can help you create the foundation for a good quality of life; bad contracts can result in horrible nightmares. Far too many people -- freelancers, contractors and businesses -- see contracts as a major burden, or significant cost, to be avoided, rather than as the powerful, cost-effective business tool they are.

This course covers issues relevant to many service contracts, and many other issues specific to contracts in digital media projects. The information is relevant to all professionals in the industry.

While there is no such thing as a 'perfect' contract, it is possible to learn how to write a good contract, to protect your interests, with little cost and difficulty. In this presentation, through a broad discussion of what contracts really are, and how to structure them effectively, R will cover many important issues for freelancers such as:

• Ensuring you get paid!
• Who owns what?
• How to protect against unforeseen changes/requests
• Alternative dispute resolution
• How and when to work with lawyers
• And much, much more!

R is not a lawyer -- this presentation is presented from the perspective of someone who has been a freelancer, and one who has hired and worked with them, and who has spent a fair amount of money on lawyers over the years, figuring out the optimal ways to handle these vital issues cost effectively.