When you guys do freelance programming do you have a contract that you send to your client? Should I consult a lawyer or is there a more canned contract I can use? I just want to be protected on things like delivery date, price, etc. Any thoughts.
Yes, I use a contract. Depending on the work, yes, I will consult a lawyer. I had a client that, for $1000 advice-based contract, had a never-ending clause that said something to the effect of, "You are liable for all of our attorney costs and damages in the event something goes wrong." You need to watch out for stuff like that and that's often where the attorneys come in handy.
https://agree2.com/masters/public
One of them is described in detail here:
http://blog.extraeagle.com/2009/03/11/refactoring-the-consul...
Full disclosure, I am one of the cofounders of Agree2.