Read the contract before the project.

It’s a copyright term meaning the hiring party — not the creator — owns the work from the moment it’s created. For freelancers, this means you have no rights to your portfolio piece unless the contract carves out exceptions or grants you a license back. For hirers, true work-for-hire only applies to specific categories under U.S. law; broader assignment language is often needed.

Net 15–30 is standard for small projects; Net 45–60 is common for enterprise work. Net 90 or longer is a major cash-flow problem for freelancers. Look for late-payment interest (often 1.5%/month) and the right to suspend work for non-payment.

Mutual indemnification is reasonable. One-sided indemnification (where only the contractor indemnifies the client) shifts all the risk to one party — including for things outside their control. For high-value contracts, push for mutuality and a cap tied to fees paid.

No. "For convenience" lets the client terminate any time, for any reason, often with limited notice. "For cause" requires a specific breach. Termination-for-convenience clauses should pair with kill fees or guaranteed minimums; without those, you can lose the project after blocking out time on your calendar.