Ask HN: How to hire freelancers outside the US (US based company)

Hello HN!

I have a functional MVP and made my first sale. I want to hire a freelancer to take help with development so that I can focus on sales. I found a developer from Europe, who seems really promising, but I have never hired a freelancer before so I want to be extra careful.

Is it too risky to hire from abroad? Under which circumstances would it be good?

I do not have any friend's recommendations for the developer, but the dev has a solid online reputation and the references provided by the dev are all positive.

My biggest concern is that if there is ever a need for litigation, it will be extremely hard and expensive.