• You might ask this on jobs.perl.org
• Even if you have a contract, do you really savor the idea of going to court and hiring a collection agency if they don't pay? I have been stiffed for 10k and just swallowd it. It takes a lot of time and may yield nothing to get a client to pay. If you are worried about that, charge frequently or require an up-front retainer fee.

Carter's compass: I know I'm on the right track when by deleting something, I'm adding functionality