Do you have a home improvement project and a friend who will complete it for less? Do you have a friend who is a photographer, and while he or she does not usually do weddings, has agreed to photograph yours? Are you opening a business? Do you need the skills of your friend to run the business? Is your secretary on indefinite leave? Or, has she quit? Have you in desperation accepted the offer of a friend to work for you?
How did you communicate your expectations to your friend? How much money does your friend expect to receive? Are you sure you agreed to pay, what your friend expects to receive? Did your friend say how long the job would take to complete? What will you do if the job takes significantly longer to complete, or is not completed to your satisfaction or specifications? Did you communicate to your friend the job is temporary or on a trial basis? Did the two of you agree on all the terms? Are you sure?
Friends help friends for free. When friends work for friends, they become employers, employees, or clients. People who work for clients use contracts, which spell out the terms of service and protect both parties in case of dispute.
If you are afraid to insult a friend by insisting on a written agreement, what do you think will happen when there is no agreement and you have a dispute? If your friendship cannot survive the writing of an agreement, will it survive a disagreement?
If you have a dispute with a friend with whom you are doing business, how will you resolve it? Will you go to court? If you do not have a written agreement or contract, what evidence do you have of an agreement? Do you think your friend will agree with what you say when you explain your verbal agreement to the judge? For what relief will you ask the judge? What makes you think you will get it?
(Continued in Part II: Mediation & Business Disputes with Friends)
