Professional services contracts

Freelance or contract writers can benefit from a Freelance Writing Contract. Those contracting with the writer for work also benefit from a professional contract. Contracts protect both sides of the agreement.

Legal protections offered to both parties include:

Description of work. A description of the work requires the one contracting with the writer to define what is expected of the writing project, including research and quality requirements.

Payment agreement. The contract states how much will be paid and when.

Relationship of parties. This clause shows that the writer is not an employee of the service recipient.

Confidentiality agreement. The agreement contracts the writer to keep the information that they know about the client's proprietary business information private.

Indemnification agreement. This agreement is basically a hold-harmless agreement that protects both sides from injury.

Severability. This clause means that if one part of the contract is considered invalid, the rest of the contract is still valid.

You may also need an Editor Contract.

If you are starting out in consulting, you'll want to use contracts that help you appear professional and organized -- documents that help you get paid. One contract that you'll use often is a Consultant Agreement. Consulting Agreements are two-sided contracts that protect both parties. It includes agreements about the scope of work and payment schedules.

There are a few important provisions that Consulting Agreements include, such as:

Payment agreement and description of work. This section outlines how much and when you will be paid. It also includes payment due dates and what happens if payments are made late. It also clearly defines the work to be performed.

How out-of-pocket expenses will be handled. As an independent consultant, you will pay your own expenses since you are your own business. However, sometimes expenses come up that are related to the project that the client will agree to pay for.

Insurance requirements. The client may require the consultant to carry a certain type of insurance.

Confidentiality agreements. This agreement protects both sides from revealing each other's proprietary information such as client lists, specialized machinery, process, pricing and so on.

Some consultants also incorporate by forming a business entity such as an LLC.

A Professional Services Agreement is often between a professional services company or consultant and a business or organization. Professional services include services such as editing, program development, auditing, lab services, data analysis, software development, technical support, management consulting, and more. They can be long since they often include guidelines and procedures and performance monitoring procedures plus standard inclusions such as confidentiality agreements, payment schedules, termination terms, and insurance requirements.

This type of agreement is most often used with professional services rather than general labor or routine work. Services that would be considered advanced may require education and experience, which may include advanced-career independent consultants as well as professional services groups. Since the contracts can be complex, you may benefit from having your lawyer review the agreement before you sign it.