[ziles88]

Good intentions, terrible advice, sorry.

Contracts are not just for 'the courts'. It is a standard business practice of having some clear terms for the both parties. Not only that, but any company who could sue and, 'wipe you out' already has their own contracts and NDAs, you not showing up with one just looks unprofessional. It should be also used as a place to outline your workflow and what the client should expect from you. Clients love this, trust me.

To tell new developers that, 'go ahead and put 5K-50K of your earnings on good faith' is just a dangerous thing to say.