Business is booming and you have a lot of cash flowing out the door. Without a strong collections process, you can run into a real cashflow squeeze. Just one hiccup on a large project can put your entire business at risk.

Today, I interview construction attorney Alex Barthet from The Lien Zone Podcast to discuss everything we need to know to get paid for your jobs. We cover the good, bad, and the ugly on contracts, change orders and filing timely lien notices.  Alex is a Florida Board Certified construction attorney in Miami and has been practicing for about 20 years. He manages an eleven-person law firm his father began many years ago and its primary purpose is to represent people in the construction industry.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Getting paid as a contractor
• Implications of Hurricane Irma on the construction industry
• Increased prices of construction materials after Irma
• Time extension clauses for hurricanes in contracts
• Avoiding problems with contracts
• Have a written agreement for construction work. 
• If you have a written agreement, read it! Don’t skim over it, but pay attention to details.
• For clarity, have an attorney go over the contract or make addendums. 
• Suggest reasonable changes in contracts, but know you may not always get all the changes you want.
• Stop work provisions
• AIA contracts
• Arbitration clauses
• Change order process
• Make sure assumptions and exclusions get included in the contract before signing.
• Don’t be afraid to bring up the uncomfortable things that need to be addressed. Address them upfront before the contract is signed.
• Have a list of unit costs in the contract.
• Have clients sign change orders before doing the work.
• Alex discusses understanding liens and protecting your lien rights.
• Dave and Alex offer advice for collecting money owed to you.
• Multiple payment forms

Resources:  

The Barthet Law Firm

The Lien Zone Podcast

Alex’s E-mail

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