Private Money Loan 101 - Where Do I Find It?

Does anyone have a good tip on how to have QA providing a private money loan to a local rehabber? I have done a fix and flip, and have lent money for 4 years using a house that the investor put a lease optioner in (and I put a lien on the house). But, I am definitely at the point in my professional development that I could miss a detail and screw the pooch, as they say. Is there kind of a checklist or a book chapter or an authoritative thread that I should read? Or is hiring a real estate attorney for $600-900 pretty much the best way to avoid a critical mistake or being duped?