Left unstated was that the best of all worlds would be to sign a good contract with a good person. In any case, everyone in the contracting business ought to be on the lookout for red flags in contract language.
A seminar on construction law doesn't make for the most enjoyable afternoon but I attended one several years ago by Chicago construction attorney Stanley Sklar that was good enough to keep my eyelids pried open for four hours. Sklar is a straight shooter. "If you are looking for a fair subcontract, it does not exist," he told the audience. "Nobody wants to accept project risk. Everyone is looking to shift it downstream and subcontractors are at the bottom of that stream.