Chasing money with lawyers is hardly ever worth it. Only the lawyers get paid at the end of the day.
Best way to avoid this is to carefully pick your clients. Saying no or doing due diligence up front is a far better strategy. In 7+ years doing this I’ve never had an issue getting stiffed. A few delayed payments from startups with cash flow issues but at the end of the day they always paid as they appreciate the work I do and understanding as believe in both my work and the client. Funny enough, but biggest issue/delay was with a huge multinational corp I had to chance for a long time. Smaller clients I get good terms (50% deposit and payment on presentation) and less issues even if the bills are larger.
I try not to make it an adversarial relationship. You may get paid but likely won’t work with them again. Most of the time, if you have good clients, there is a reason they may delay payment. The more you can be understanding the better for the relationship. You can also then adjust terms next project to compensate (larger deposit, etc) and clearly explain it was due to the last payment issue that occurred.
R