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If you have a lawyer friend or relative I would maybe ask them to review your contract if you have one and maybe review your case.
I had this scenario play out early in my career. I had used a contract I found online. Basically, the contact did nothing to protect me and their advice was not to pursuit given the small amount I had agreed upon.
If you have a legally binding contract and the amount is significant I would get lawyers involved. Otherwise, half upfront and the rest upon final delivery is a good way to move forward with new clientele.
I love when freelance clients don’t pay me because one of the major upsides of capitalism is that when someone owes you money you suddenly have several avenues for legal harassment (ask anyone who’s ever missed a loan payment).
Get a lawyer only if they really dig in; using the courts means you know neither side will win but you’re determined to see them lose. Assuming you’ve exhausted yourself sending late notices and have given more than a reasonable amount of time for payment (like 60 days): Show up to their place of business and demand a check on the spot loudly in front of their coworkers. Call their house every night at dinner time. If the client was a business, walk in and loudly demand payment in front of all their customers. If they call the police, bring a copy of the contract and any late notices you’ve sent, and the police may even help you out and apply pressure for you. Act as brazen and empowered as any collections agent would since that’s what you’re doing.
Going onto a private premises and yelling and demanding will likely result in getting escorted off the premises and possibly arrested.
Such an approach will likely do more harm to you. Especially with an agency that has more financial backing and legal access than you do.
Sue them in small claims court.
You don’t need a lawyer to do so.
Small claims moves fast and is efficient. It’ll send the right message and hurt them just enough
I called their office every day and asked to talk to the financial department. Every. Day. For months. Sometimes they wouldn’t be available, so I’d ask what time to call back. After I didn’t get anywhere for awhile, I asked for their CFO. I was always courteous and polite. Took about 4 months (AFTER it was due) to get paid.
They don’t care. It was near impossible to get vendors paid even from the inside, I got the same treatment - the PM’s were useless, account teams clueless, finance was MIA. It took that long for me to get the people I hired paid, and continued to fight for them after my freelance gig ended