Construction Law
How to Get Paid When You’re Owed $10,000 or Less
In the construction industry, every individual who commits their time and effort to a project deserves to be paid, regardless of the value of their contract. Unfortunately, legal fees can be expensive, and many construction professionals fear that these fees will override any benefit of pursuing legal action for nonpayment. This doesn’t have to be the case. While litigation can be costly, a Portland construction attorney can still help you get paid through means that won’t deplete your funds.
In this article, a Portland construction attorney will discuss how contractors and subcontractors can get paid when owed $10,000 or less. If payment is being withheld from you, consult an attorney from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants to see what can be done to rectify your situation. Our attorneys have been valiantly serving the industry for years, and we look forward to working with every potential client to lay out the best course of action for any of their ongoing disputes.
Handling the Attorney’s Fee
One reason it’s important to partner with a Portland construction lawyer before a dispute arises is that they can revise your contracts to include a clause explaining how attorney’s fees will be handled following a claim. Essentially, this clause asserts that the prevailing party is not responsible for paying their own attorney’s fees. When you’re working with a Portland construction lawyer, this can prove to be a tremendous boon as you will already be aligned with an experienced legal professional with the capability to secure the payment you are due. Meanwhile, you’ll benefit from having the delinquent party pay for your legal fees. In other words, no claim is too small when you partner with Cotney Attorneys & Consultants in advance. That said, not every contract can be revised to help you obtain attorney’s fees, so you may need to rely on other tactics to get paid, such as a demand letter.
Demand Letters Cut Costs and Help You Avoid Litigation
As we’ve discussed in past articles, a well-written demand letter can be a powerful tool for helping construction professionals get paid. When the entity responsible for paying for your services turns out to be a tire kicker, a Portland construction attorney can draft a demand letter on legal letterhead to encourage payment. Although a demand letter isn’t a legal document, it does carry substantial weight and shows that you are serious about taking whatever legal recourse is available to procure payment. In most cases, a demand letter will be sufficient for getting paid pending the proper inclusions such as a record of the details pertaining to the dispute, an assertive and serious tone, a clear monetary figure to be paid, and a deadline. Whether you want to explicitly state that litigation is impending or let the demand letter suggest it without directly stating it, there’s a lot to be gained from a demand letter penned by a Portland construction attorney.
If you would like to speak with a Portland construction lawyer, please contact us today.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.