Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Would clients delay payment for their attorney? Yes, routinely! That's what Thomas and Patrick are getting at. For better or worse (and trust me, I've felt the "worse" side of it lately+) companies will, for a plethora of boring and stupid reasons, not always get their payables out on time. It's completely normal. They're not trying to screw you. It just happens. You can choose not to work with those companies, or…
I don't know if the "late payments" thing works for anyone else, but speaking from my own limited experience: it's better to take any given business concern out of your client's hide in increased rate than to add any complexity to contracts. To a one, the most lucrative clients all have contracts reviewed by house counsel, and many have purchasing departments trained to do nothing but review contracts. Anything remot…
Re: Ask HN: Are Startups Exploiting Freelancers?
#31It might be a regional thing; every independent professional I've ever hired has done something like "Net 30; 1.5% interest per month on late invoices" so businesses here are used to it. I've never tried it myself (benefit is marginal compared to just raising rates, as you say, plus it's a PITA to actually enforce) but I don't think it would have presented any problems in legal. YMMV, obviously :)