I am not a freelancer, but am preparing to become one, and have a few questions for the novices to put my mind to rest!!

If I base myself in Ireland, is there any charges for doing work for someone in USA or someone in say, Zanzibar?

What method of payment do you all use? Which is better/secure? Is PayPal good? or cheques?

In Ireland, how often would you come across a client who refuses to pay, or turns into roger the dodger? Because I've read from a previous thread on this forum that clients here are notorious for it..?

Is hosting your clients site the best way for collateral until you receive final payment?

Is there an essential must have book that gives you all the information you need for doing business in Ireland, copyright issues (for Ireland), samples of contracts you can use, samples of all other legal documents???

A client has a business and doesnt have a website. He contacts you throught email and asks you to design a site. The name of his company is "XYZ". You've never heard of XYZ before, and you complete the site for him.
What would happen if XYZ already existed and the client was breaking some copyright law, would you be also in the wrong ie could any legal action be taken against you for designing a logo for XYZ and a website?