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Lawyered up and got paid PDF Print E-mail
Written by Sheffield Abella   
Friday, 26 October 2007
  I've been dealing with a deadbeat client for the past two years.  I've been trying to get paid but to no avail.  I recently started using some legal services and was about to take this client to court when they paid what they owed me in full.

It's worth it to learn what your legal options are.  Do not be afraid of going to court.  I was actually looking forward to going to court because it was probably going to be a slam dunk case in my favor.  This is also the reason that the client finally paid up.  They would have had no valid reason for not paying me.

The thing that lit a fire under my ass to get this money was talking to the other instructors who were also owed money by this same company.  In many instances, you get advice from older/wiser illustrators to just walk away from the hassle of dealing with a bad client and eating the loss.

I think that this is a bad precedent to set.  One stereotype is that artists are shy and inarticulate.  Also the cost of hiring someone to represent you may be higher than the amount of money you're trying to recover. 

If you can take it to small claims court, I would recommend doing so.  Document everything you possibly can.  Do not leave anything open to the interpretation by the judge because ultimately, his decision, as arbitrary as it might be, will determine whether you get paid or not.

I really can't advise anyone as I'm not a lawyer, nor have I been to small claims court.  My advise to you is to seek out legal advice from a lawyer who is familiar with your field.

I'm glad this thing is over.  I've been feeling like I've had a black cloud over my head and now it's gone.  I feel like karmically, some better things are in store for me.
Comments
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burnt - um IP:68.104.44.92 | 2007-10-31 21:07:44
might i ask what company this was? if ever in the future i get a project from them, i'd like to be ready
Sheff - Ask me in person Super Administrator | 2007-11-01 10:42:17
avatar and I will tell you.
Fama - legal services IP:71.0.37.216 | 2007-11-01 13:05:04
You might wanna look into prepaid legal services... (www.prepaidlegal.com) ... wherein you pay a monthly fee and you can use their services anytime, and a lawyer is always ready to represent you they can do almost all legal services (wills, speeding tickets, power of atty, and the like)... In your case, if you sign up for prepaid legal... you contact them and they will send a letter to the non-paying client and your client will take this matter seriously. And it only costs $25/month to keep the services with them. I'm not sure if you're familiar with this services. But it sure saved me from a $250 speeding ticket! Prepaid Legal represented me on my behalf, reduced my speeding violation into a parking violation (it won't show in my driving record) and reduced my fine from $250 to $75... I did all this by phone!

*lol* i'm not a spokesperson for Prepaid Legal Services... fyi....
Sheff - Actually Super Administrator | 2007-11-01 13:15:35
avatar Prepaidlegal is who I used for this. Thanks for the tip though.
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