This directory does not rank firms, rate them or recommend one. It cannot — it has not checked the register and holds no licence numbers. What follows is what the decision actually turns on, so you can make it yourself. This is general information, not advice about your company.
Everything else on this page is secondary to one check: is the individual who will be appointed licensed, and by whom. It takes five minutes on the free government register and it is the only question with a definitive answer. The licence-checking guide walks through it.
Firm names, badges, membership logos and awards are marketing. They are not regulatory status and several of them can be bought.
A practice built around large corporate restructurings and one built around small owner-managed businesses approach the same procedure quite differently — in fee scale, in how much partner time you get, and in how familiar they are with the problems your kind of company actually has.
For a small company, being a small client of a large firm is usually worse than being a normal-sized client of a smaller one. Ask directly how many cases of roughly your size and sector the practice handled last year. It is a fair question and a specific answer is a good sign.
In most practices, the licensed practitioner takes the appointment and signs the documents while case managers and administrators do the day-to-day work under supervision. This is normal and not a problem in itself — but it means the person who impressed you on the first call may not be the person you deal with for the next twelve months.
Ask: who will be my day-to-day contact, and how much of this case will the licensed practitioner personally handle? Then judge the answer against the fee.
A practice that reaches immediately for liquidation without asking whether the business could be rescued has either seen enough to be confident or has a preferred product. You will not always be able to tell which, but you can notice whether the alternatives were discussed at all.
A good first conversation covers more than one route and explains why the recommended one fits — including what would have to be true for a CVA or an administration to work, and why it is not. The comparison of the five routes is enough background to follow that conversation.
Ask for the fee, the basis of it, and the expected disbursements, in writing, before signing anything. A practice that will not put a range in writing after seeing your figures is telling you something about how it works. The costs page covers what to ask and why the answer varies so much.
The specific thing to establish early: whether the fee comes out of company assets or out of you personally. It is the difference between a closure that costs you nothing and one that costs thousands.
Initial conversations are normally free and carry no obligation. Having two or three is standard practice and no reputable firm will find it odd. It is the single cheapest thing you can do to improve the decision, and directors under time pressure routinely skip it.
Two conversations will also tell you something the first cannot: whether the advice is consistent. Where two practices describe the same position very differently, that is worth understanding before you appoint either.
Most insolvency work is handled by phone, video call and post. A local office is a convenience rather than a requirement, and choosing a worse practice because it is nearer is a poor trade.
That said, this directory is organised by region because that is how people search, and because an office page on a firm’s own site is a verifiable fact where “national coverage” is not. You can browse by region and contact firms directly.
How do I choose between insolvency practitioners?
Check the individual’s licence on the free government register first. Then weigh sector and size fit, who will actually do the day-to-day work, whether alternatives to the recommended route were discussed, and whether the fee and its basis were put in writing. Speak to two or three before deciding.
Should I speak to more than one insolvency practitioner?
Yes. Initial conversations are normally free and carry no obligation, and two or three is standard. Beyond comparing fees, it tells you whether the advice is consistent — where two practices describe the same position very differently, that is worth resolving before appointing either.
Can I change insolvency practitioner?
Before appointment, freely — you are not committed until you sign an engagement letter, and even then check its terms. After a formal appointment it is harder: replacing a liquidator or administrator generally requires a decision of creditors or an application to court, and there will be costs.
What is the difference between an insolvency practitioner and an accountant?
An insolvency practitioner holds a licence that permits them to take formal insolvency appointments — liquidator, administrator, supervisor of a CVA. An accountant, unless separately licensed, cannot. Many insolvency practitioners are also accountants, but the licence is the distinct thing.
Does it matter if the practice is local to me?
Less than most directors expect. Most insolvency work is handled by phone, video call and post, so proximity is a convenience rather than a requirement. Choosing a less suitable practice because it is nearer is usually a poor trade.