Consultant & Independent Contractor Agreements

373 Pages·2004·1.25 MB·English

by  Stephen Fishman

4th edition
Consultant &
Independent
Contractor
Agreements
By Attorney Stephen Fishman
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4th edition
Consultant &
Independent
Contractor
Agreements
By Attorney Stephen Fishman
Fourth Edition APRIL 2004
Editors JANET PORTMAN, LISA GUERIN, AND AMY DELPO
Cover Design TONI IHARA
Illustrations MARI STEIN
Book Design TERRI HEARSH
Production SARAH HINMAN
Proofreading EMILY K. WOLMAN
CD-ROM Preparation ANDRÉ ZIVKOVICH
Index THÉRÈSE SHERE
Printing CONSOLIDATED PRINTERS, INC
Fishman, Stephen.
Consultant & independent contractor agreements / by Stephen Fishman; edited by Amy
DelPo & Lisa Guerin.--4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-4133-0026-X
1. Contracts for work and labor--United States. 2. Consulting contracts--United States.
3. Independent contractors--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. I. Title: Consultant
and independent contractor agreements. II. DelPo, Amy, 1967- III. Guerin, Lisa, 1964- IV.
Title.
KF898 .F567 2004
346.7302'4--dc22
2003064963
Copyright © 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004 by Stephen Fishman.
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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to:
Janet Portman, Amy DelPo, and Lisa Guerin for their outstanding editing.
Jake Warner for his help.
Terri Hearsh and Sarah Hinman for the outstanding book design and production.
Ely Newman and André Zivkovich for disk preparation.
Thérèse Shere for the thorough index.
Emily K. Wolman for proofreading.
About the Author
Stephen Fishman received his law degree from the University of Southern
California in 1979. After stints in government and private practice, he became
a full-time legal writer in 1983. He has helped write and edit over a dozen
reference books for attorneys. He is also the author of Copyright Your Soft-
ware, The Copyright Handbook: How to Protect and Use Written Works,
Working for Yourself: Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers
and Consultants, and Hiring Independent Contractors: The Employer’s Legal
Guide, all published by Nolo.
Table of Contents
1 How to Use This Book
A. Why Use Written Agreements ...................................................................1/2
B. Agreements Contained in This Book............................................................1/4
C. Putting Your Agreement Together................................................................1/4
D. Changing the Agreement After It’s Signed....................................................1/8
2 Hiring Consultants and Independent Contractors
A. Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Independent Contractors .............................2/3
B. Workers Who Qualify as Independent Contractors........................................2/5
C. When Written IC Agreements Are Vital .....................................................2/17
3 Working as a Consultant or Independent Contractor
A. Benefits of Working as an Independent Contractor........................................3/2
B. Drawbacks of IC Status............................................................................3/3
C. Who Decides Whether You’re an IC?.........................................................3/3
4 Enforcing Consultant and Independent Contractor Agreements
A. Preliminary Considerations........................................................................4/2
B. Negotiation ...........................................................................................4/4
C. Mediation..............................................................................................4/5
D. Arbitration..............................................................................................4/6
E. Litigation................................................................................................4/7
5 General Independent Contractor Agreements
A. Agreement for Hiring Firm to Use................................................................5/3
B. Agreement for Independent Contractor to Use.............................................5/25