Went under as in closed their doors and went out of business.  No bankruptcy.  Just no money in the company coffers.  (The one who was stupid enough to give a bad check to my lawyer and ended up in jail overnight in Wayne County because of that is now having his wages garnished, but it's because of the bad check, not the badly run company.)  According to said lawyers, there is no need for a formal written agreement.  The order for services is a contract: I agree to do the work; they agree to pay the amount specified.

Alix