Client work · Template
A freelancer agreement sets the brief, deliverables, rate, rights and payment terms between a freelancer and a client. Describe your deal in a sentence and Lex drafts it, with Plain English beside every clause.
Lex drafts it in Plain English beside the legal wording. Share one link; both sides agree and sign.
A freelancer agreement is the contract a freelancer sends a client before starting work. It pins down the brief, what will be delivered, the rate or fee, when invoices are paid, how many rounds of changes are included and who owns the result. For most freelancers its main job is getting paid on time and keeping scope from creeping, so it usually includes a deposit, a kill fee and late-payment terms.
Also called: freelance contract, freelance agreement.
Example wording Lex starts from, with what each clause means. Your draft is written around your deal, so the wording changes with it.
Legal wording · example
The Client shall pay a deposit of [50]% before work starts and the balance within [14] days of delivery.
In Plain English
Half is paid up front, the rest within the days agreed after you deliver.
How this clause works →Legal wording · example
Copyright in the final Deliverables is assigned to the Client on receipt of payment in full. The Freelancer may show the work in their portfolio.
In Plain English
The client owns the final work once they have paid everything, and you can still show it in your portfolio.
How this clause works →Legal wording · example
If the Client cancels the project after work has started, the Client shall pay for work done to date plus a cancellation fee of [25]% of the remaining Fee.
In Plain English
If the client pulls the plug, they pay for what is done plus an agreed share of the rest.
How this clause works →Legal wording · example
The Freelancer's total liability is limited to the Fee paid under this agreement, save where the law does not allow a limit.
In Plain English
If something goes wrong, the most you can owe is what you were paid, except where the law says otherwise.
How this clause works →The governing-law clause decides which legal system reads the contract. Some rules, such as how documents are signed, time limits for claims and terms that cannot be excluded, differ by place. These pages cite the legislation:
No, there is no blank Word or PDF file. You describe the deal in a sentence, Lex drafts the freelancer agreement with your details already in it, and you share one link. The other side reads it in Plain English, suggests changes and signs in the browser, free.
A contract can be agreed by email or even verbally, but a written one makes the scope, payment date and ownership clear, which is where most freelance disputes start.
A payment the client makes if they cancel the work part-way through. It compensates the freelancer for time booked and turned away. It is set in the contract, commonly as a percentage of the remaining fee.
In the UK, for business-to-business debts, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 provides statutory interest; gov.uk states the rate as 8% plus the Bank of England base rate. Elsewhere, interest usually needs to be in the contract.
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