I have to agree with your observations, I know it does not help with the current situation but getting 50% up front does a lot to mitigate the risk of non-payme

I have to agree with your observations, I know it does not help with the current situation but getting 50% up front does a lot to mitigate the risk of non-payment. If you receive half the project price up front then you are at least not walking away having worked for free. You have just made less per-hour than you would like. Also build the price of hosting the site or application on systems that are managed and paid for by you. This way you can legally withhold delivery of the final product until all payments are rendered. Too many times freelancer will work on client provided systems which immediately sets them at a legal disadvantage for seeking recourse by withholding the software. You run afoul of computer invasion laws if you enter their systems and remove it. If a client insists that it has to be done on their machines, you can insist back that you have an optimized workflow and system that support you achieving the goal in the least amount of time and that it is company policy that you work on your companies systems. The thing about doing this is it makes it easier for the court to discern who owns the code and more importantly when the conveyance of ownership was transferred. In the end though, try to avoid getting in the situation to begin with, it is a lot easier than trying to get out of it; because in the end unless it is over 10k it is probably less of a hassle to focus your efforts on getting more gigs. Legal remedies consume your time and cost your money.