You do!  What protection do you have without one? As a freelancer is it easy to become casual with legalities, but don’t forget that the only person who loses if something goes wrong is you. The client is at no risk. So, do yourself a favor and require contracts.

How Much do Contracts Cost?
Contracts ooze professionalism and they don’t have to be intricate or cost a fortune. They don’t even have to be drawn up by a lawyer or written in fancy legal speak. They must simply state the business and payment terms and job details. This can be a letter confirming job details and your payment terms, or it can be a legal form found online or purchased from a legal Web site. Most publications that purchase your work will have a contract for writers, but for most bid projects you will have to provide your own.

Develop a contract that you will use for your business. Many free contracts can be found online, but be sure to change it using the above guidelines, making the contract specific to a fictitious job of your choice.