Unsure? Insure!

It's been one whole year of producing weekly Unsure? Insure! episodes. I thought it would be fun for the final episode (in its current format) to go through some of the popular episodes and takeaways, and to also share my favourite episodes and takeaways. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Payment disputes have become more common recently with a lot of businesses revising their budget and making cuts. In this episode we share a story where a client changed their mind as the project neared completion, asked for a refund and threatened legal action if the freelancer didn't comply. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

In this episode Chris, a multidisciplinary designer, shares his experience of pursuing a late payment through small claims court. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Every freelancer has a responsibility to their client to product work on time and to a good standard, and to keep on the right side of copyright laws. Having looked at the root causes of our past few claims, we make a few suggestions about things freelancers will want to consider to better handle their liabilities. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

We speak to With Jack customer, David, about his experience using the legal advice helpline to help him recover money he was owed from a client through small claims court. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Having been on the frontline of freelance insurance for the past 4 years, I’ve heard a lot of inexplicable reasons why freelancers don’t think insurance is a worthwhile investment. In this episode we share some of the reasons why freelancers don’t think insurance is worthwhile, and explain why those reasons are… pretty daft. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

We've seen a lot of serious situations lately where client relationships have broken down and the situation reaches a point where it may escalate. One pattern we've noticed is that a lot of freelancers don’t have the confidence to handle these situations, so in this episode we talk about how to deal with these situations and remind you that you deserve to be treated with respect and are aloud to have boundaries. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

This freelancer was responsible for their client's online presence, but felt uneasy as launch drew closer due to their client's 'dodgy' decisions. In this episode we discuss if a freelancer can be blamed for their client's clueless actions. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Scope creep is a common problem in development projects. In fact, most of the claims we've seen at With Jack have had an element of scope creep that's contributed to the relationship breaking down. In this episode we look at why scope creep is problematic and how insurance can help. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

When a freelancer takes a work break—whether it's maternity leave, or a small gap in between their next contract or a full-time position that temporarily takes them out of the freelance game—they sometimes ask if they can cancel their policy and take out insurance again when they’ve returned to work. In this episode we talk about the importance of maintaining insurance when you're taking a work break. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

When a client relationship went sour for this designer, arguments ensued over who owns the copyright of the original source files. We look at how having a contract would have cleared up any doubts, and how insurance would help when relationships break down and arguments break out around copyright ownership. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

On an aspirational level being insured helps you be a confident freelancer, but on a practical level it gives you access to affordable legal help. In today's episode we talk about how the process of getting legal help looks if you don’t have insurance compared to how it looks if you are insured. Yes, this episode involves a bit more of a hard sell than usual. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

I spend a lot of time on freelance forums, sub-reddits and communities. If there’s one (terrible) piece of advice I see from freelancers over and over again, it’s that you don’t need to have insurance if you have a contract. In today’s episode I want to dispel the myth that having a contract is enough to protect you if things go wrong. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

In today’s episode we look at simple ways to make your freelance business more bulletproof. These tips are inspired by seeing what problems freelancers regularly face. Expect some practical advice as well as tools to help you in your business, and also a smattering of mitigating risk from an insurance perspective. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

In today’s episode I’m providing an overview of what business insurance is out there for freelancers. I'll provide real examples of how these products can help freelancers whilst skipping over the jargon. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

A lot of the stories we share on this podcast follow the same patterns, usually involving mistakes around project management. One common pattern is missed milestones or delayed project launches. Another is client expectations not aligning with the freelancer's expectations, leading to dissatisfaction and potential claims. I asked my freelance friends two questions. 1. How do you keep projects running on time? 2. How do you manage client expectations? The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

It's not just big companies with a multi-million pound turnover who are vulnerable to accusations of intellectual property theft. We helped a freelance developer when their client accused them of IP theft after refusing to sign a contract that included an intellectual property clause. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

The mitigation costs clause is one of the most useful features of the professional indemnity policy. But what does the mitigation costs clause mean in plain English and how does it work? How can it help freelancers? The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

A favour for a friend. We’ve all been there and things rarely end well. It seems the same can be said for this freelance copywriter who took on a client as a favour for a friend. Cue scope creep, price negotiations and micromanagement. Let's dive in and see where it went wrong. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

The wedding industry is one of the worst hit due to Coronavirus, leaving wedding vendors co-operating with clients in finding suitable dates to reschedule. We are seeing it turn ugly for some wedding vendors whose clients are asking for full refunds if the vendor can’t work on the rescheduled date, sometimes accompanied with a legal threat. In this episode we talk about where wedding vendors stand with refunds during Coronavirus. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

An innocent mistake a freelancer made resulted in a client’s database being deleted, which lead to a threat of legal action against the freelancer. In this episode we talk about preventive measures and of course how insurance could help. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Today’s story shows how poor project management can lead to burn out, clients taking advantage and projects spiralling out of control. We talk about having terms in your contract to prevent this from happening, payment terms to suit you and having the confidence to communicate with unreasonable clients. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

A designer was hired to create, in the client's words, “just a simple website”. But those 4 words would lead to the client threatening to sue the designer by the end of the project because they felt the brief hadn't been fulfilled. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Some freelancers only get insured when a client contract requests they carry insurance. Whilst asking for a freelancer to be insured is a reasonable request, some clients ask for a high level of cover that isn’t relevant to your set-up as a freelancer. We talk about negotiating, querying and compromising on insurance clauses in client contracts. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

In this episode we answer frequently asked questions about the professional indemnity policy. We'll cover how it works, why you need to maintain insurance after you stop trading, what a retroactive date is and more. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

It's likely you'll experience a myriad of emotions if a client threatens to sue you. Anxiety, fear, confusion to name just a few. We outline the first steps you should take when a client threatens to sue you. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

This story involves the usual benchmarks of a bad project—client ghosting, unfavourable payment terms and an unwieldily project scope. All of this lead to the client believing she didn't get what she paid for and the freelancer worried about a claim being brought against them. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Red flags, if ignored, can lead to problematic client relationships and poorly run projects. These are the factors that contribute to claims against freelancers. This list is based on the insurance claims we’ve had and what situations tend to bring those claims about, and also by speaking to freelancers in general about their own experiences. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

We’ve helped lots of freelancers navigate horrible situations from delayed projects leading to claims of loss of income, to client’s threatening legal action when a freelancer refuses to work for free. There are common factors that contribute to projects or client relationships gradually breaking down. In today’s episode we highlight these common factors so you have a better chance of avoiding bad situations. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

In today's episode I talk about a situation that many freelancers experience. Non-paying clients. I want to focus on those of you, like the freelancer in today’s episode, who may be asking “Is it time to threaten to sue my client?” and highlight that there are alternative methods to threatening to sue. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

This is a short episode to check in and make sure you’re doing as well as can be. We want to draw your attention to the confidential counselling service you have access to with your legal expenses insurance, and share a few projects our customers have been working on. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Today I want to share a story of a freelance designer whose client ghosted them, refused to pay their invoice, yet popped up on the radar several weeks later to demand the website be delivered. Most of the claims we see are usually caused by a client relationship breaking down over time. That was certainly the case here. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

The legal expenses product has quite a misleading name which doesn’t really capture what this product does. A few episodes ago I did a professional indemnity insurance teardown where I broke down the most commonly used features within that policy and how they could help freelancers. Now I’m going to do the same for legal expenses insurance. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

We share a real story about how insurance helped a filmmaker when his hard drive failed and client footage was lost. Whilst this situation started with a damaged piece of equipment, it developed into a client claiming damages because their reputation was impacted. Two different insurance products came into play to ensure the best outcome from a bad situation—contents insurance and professional indemnity insurance. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

There isn’t much help we can provide in terms of the products we arrange and the impact COVID-19 is having on freelancers. After spending most of last week answering customer emails and phone calls, I feel it’s best to go into a bit more detail. At the very least this episode can be a refresher on what the insurance you’ve arranged through With Jack can help you with. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

This episode is for all of the freelancers out there that think they don’t need insurance! I’m going to debunk common misconceptions freelancers have about insurance. By the end of this episode you should have a better idea of why you need to be insured. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

The professional indemnity policy is an incredibly meaty cover that can be difficult to explain in simple, concise terms. There’s a lot going in the policy wording. Professional indemnity covers a lot of bases, but in this episode we break down some of the most common features used by freelancers. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

It’s not just designers who are susceptible to claims of copyright infringement. We’ve seen developers, marketers and all sorts have claims of copyright infringement made against them. In this episode we look at best practices to avoid claims of copyright infringement. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

If a client isn't happy with the work you've done they might ask for a refund. In this episode we talk about how to handle this situation, fighting the temptation to do extra work for free and if your insurance can help when a client asks for reimbursement. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Some clients exhibit red flags right from the start, yet sometimes we ignore our gut instinct and still work with them. In this true story a developer ignored the red flags and found themselves in trouble. We’ll talk about preventive measures, what the developer’s options are and the role insurance would play in this situation… if they had been insured. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Professional indemnity claims tend to be complex on many levels. You're feeling stressed, lawyers get involved, client negotiations take place… There's a lot going on, so I provide insight into the claims process by looking at the behind the scenes of a real claim. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

When making a claim on your house insurance one of the questions you'll be asked is, “Do you use this for business or personal?”. Home contents policies exclude business equipment by default so your claim might not get paid. In this episode we look at the difference between business contents insurance and home contents insurance. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

There's been a spike of interest in IR35 insurance because of the off-payroll working rules that will affect freelancers who operate under a Limited company. In this episode we'll look at what IR35 insurance is, how it can help and how much it costs. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

At some point in your freelance career you’ll experience a project that doesn’t go to plan. It doesn’t matter who or what is to blame, or what the specifics are, some projects just don’t run smoothly. Whatever's happened, you might have an angry client on your case now. Let’s look at the do’s and don’ts when a project goes wrong. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Contrary to popular belief insurers do want to pay out claims. There are some occasions, however, where claims don’t get paid. I want to take a look at the common reasons why so you can be in the best position possible with ensuring your insurance works for you. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

I’m sharing a story from a freelancer whose client asked them to submit the work they’d done for a project that had missed various deadlines… and then asked the freelancer to pay the company damages for the work being overdue. I’ll highlight what this freelancer could have done differently to potentially have a better outcome, and the role insurance would play in this situation. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Having a contract is a basic best practice of freelancing, but for whatever reason you may be working on a project without one. Perhaps it’s a short job or there’s some kind of existing relationship with that client so you feel you don’t need one. Will your insurance be void if you don't have a contract? The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

It’s a common misconception that the only time you should contact your insurer is when lawyers are banging on your door because you’re being sued. This isn't true. Let’s talk about when you should contact your insurer and how they might be able to help you. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

I'm sharing a story from a freelancer whose client threatened to invoice them for hiring another freelancer after being unhappy with their work. I’ll highlight what this freelancer could have done differently to potentially have a better outcome, and the role insurance would play in this situation. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

Projects get derailed for a number of reasons. Maybe the client hasn’t provided the deliverables that you need to complete your work or circumstances outside of your control affect how much work you’ve been able to do. I talk about how you can keep projects moving, and how insurance can help you if your client is unhappy with the project’s progress (even if it is their fault). The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.

A lot of freelancers have the assumption they don't need insurance because they aren't doing anything high risk. They also think that having a contract is enough to protect them. I look at what exactly freelancers are doing that insurance could help them with from missing project milestones to clients misunderstanding briefs. I also touch upon the myth that contracts are enough to protect you. The information in this podcast is for general guidance and is not legal advice.