You either need to get better in selecting clients with money or in proving your value in the relationship so that client wants to keep using you and not burn b

You either need to get better in selecting clients with money or in proving your value in the relationship so that client wants to keep using you and not burn bridges. Back to your money: You likely lost it. If they have assets you can threaten them with legal means but I'm experience it never worked. Going to the legal system without a lawyer just made me waste 500£ and I didn't recoup anything. It would have been money better spent if I paid a hacker to steal his crypto I had some kind of opposite situation once, a client decided to implement a non scalable shortcut instead of solving the issue in the proper way - then called me after 2 years asking me to fix it or to pay him back his money (something like 2k£). He threatened legal action, I knew the court case would cost him more than that and I just explained the unfairness of the situation and then ignored him.