Every contractor is happy to get work these days, but how many times have you done the job that you were hired for and the company for whom you did the job says that they can't pay or the development company for whom you worked abandoned the property in mid-stream or the construction company for whom you worked abandoned the property in mid-stream and you can't get paid? Even when construction and architectural companies specialize in "going green" it doesn't mean that everything goes smoothly. Contractors that specialize in doing green projects are very aware that there are times when there is need to collect the money owed to them. What do you do? You are probably aware that if you hire an attorney, it usually becomes so costly and time consuming to attempt to recover the money that is owed to you, that you become reluctant to get involved in this litigation and you are the one that takes the loss. Contrary to what I personally did believe, and I am certain many others still believe, it is not necessary to employ an attorney to serve and collect a property lien. Don't despair. We have found, what we think is the perfect course to follow in a case like this. We have discovered that you really don't need to employ an attorney to take out a lien on the property and proceed to get your money for you. These companies are fully aware of how to do this and are not attorneys. One such firm, for example is "Jerry Manna and Associates." Jerry had spent many years doing this very same service for the large construction firm for which he worked. After this firm was sold Jerry went out on his own doing exactly what he had been doing for years for the construction firm for which he worked, taking out liens for those artisans and other construction companies and installers that are unable to get their money. It seems that Jerry "leaves no stone unturned" in getting his clients paid for their services. He has been able to satisfy the many clients that never thought that they would never get compensated for their jobs. Manna has been servicing clients in accordance with the Lien Law for over 15 years and is also "green" wherever he can be. For example, he does his service on line, avoiding waste of paper and time, and the cost to the lienor is consistent depending of the amount of the lien. To quote Manna, " By using the online service and going green, hundreds of trees can be saved!" He is also very conscious of being green. It is possible to file claims directly from his website www.liensandcollections.com and in this way paper is conserved and valuable time is not wasted on sending it manually. We spoke to some of the companies that have been using this unique service. This from Frank Bodt at GG Electric Company: "It is a pleasure to share my experience with Manna and Associates. Since first utilizing their services about a year ago, I have been impressed with the outstanding service and value that we have received. The previous provider that we had been using in these cases had become less service oriented. Manna has consistently provided a level of service and professionalism that puts them head and shoulders above their competitors. They routinely provide excellence while others struggle to me Mediocre. It is refreshing to deal with a company that puts the customer first. " Another client using this unique service tells us, "Bruce Supply has been employing Manna & Associates for about four years now to handle filing of mechanic's liens for us. Dealing with them is truly a pleasure. They are very accommodating and I love the personal service that we did not get from using the usual legal companies. They are experienced in many aspects of collections and are always willing to answer questions and offer advice. I feel like they really look out for our company's interests. They are also extremely efficient in that our requests are handled immediately upon receipt of them. It is important to us at Bruce Supply to have a reliable company to deal with when it comes to collection matters and Manna and Associates really fit the bill." Barbara Parker is president of Green Fox Communications, New York, N.Y.