You get insolvency referrals by combining a small number of high-trust sources — solicitors, accountants, past clients and compliant introducers — with fast response times, clear feedback and consistent professional conduct that makes referrers comfortable sending work again. Firms that treat referral generation as a system, not a one-off marketing push, build a steadier pipeline of appointments over time.
This matters because insolvency work is relationship-led. A director rarely searches "insolvency practitioner near me" in the way they might search for a plumber. Most instructions still arrive through a trusted intermediary — a solicitor, an accountant, or a specialist introducer — which means the practice of getting insolvency referrals is really the practice of earning and keeping that trust.
This article sets out what a quality referral looks like, where the best sources sit, how to build referrer relationships that last, and how to do all of this within the regulatory framework insolvency practitioners must follow.
What 'quality' means in an insolvency referral
Not every referral is worth the same. A high-quality referral is one where the director is genuinely eligible for the process being suggested, has realistic expectations, and is ready to engage — rather than a name passed on with no context and little chance of converting to an appointment.
Useful markers of quality include:
- Fit — the case matches your firm's specialism (creditors' voluntary liquidation, administration, personal insolvency, and so on).
- Readiness — the director understands, broadly, why they are being introduced and to whom.
- Context — the referrer has shared enough background (turnover, main creditor, urgency) for a useful first call.
- Timeliness — the introduction happens early enough that options are still open, rather than after a winding-up petition has already been advertised.
Chasing volume over fit tends to waste both the referrer's goodwill and your team's time on calls that were never going to convert. It can also damage the referrer relationship itself: if a solicitor sends three cases and none convert to anything useful, they quietly stop sending a fourth.
It helps to think of quality on a spectrum rather than as a yes/no filter. A referral does not need to be a certain instruction to be worth taking — it simply needs enough information and readiness that a first conversation is a productive use of everyone's time. Firms that agree a shared definition of 'quality' with their main referral partners tend to see fewer mismatched introductions on both sides.
How to get insolvency referrals: the main sources compared
Most practices draw referrals from four broad channels, each with different strengths, timing and cost. Understanding how they differ helps a firm decide where to invest relationship-building time, rather than treating all sources as interchangeable.
Solicitors
Litigation, commercial and employment solicitors regularly meet directors of struggling companies. Their referrals tend to be well-qualified because the solicitor has usually already had a substantive conversation about the underlying problem.
Accountants
Accountants often see distress signals first — cash flow gaps, HMRC arrears, missed filings. Because the relationship is ongoing, accountant referrals can arrive earlier in the director's decision-making, which generally means more options are still available. See our guide to accountant referrals to insolvency practitioners for more on this specific relationship.
Repeat and word-of-mouth referrals
Directors, non-executive directors and turnaround advisers who have worked with you before are a low-cost, high-trust source, though volume is naturally limited and depends on case outcomes and how well you communicated throughout.
Compliant introducers
Specialist introducer platforms connect directors — including those facing HMRC winding-up petitions — with regulated practitioners on a commission basis. Used properly, this can supplement, rather than replace, direct professional relationships. Our overview of lead generation for insolvency practitioners covers how these channels typically work in practice.
Banks and asset-based lenders
Where a company has secured lending, the lender's relationship manager or credit team is sometimes the first to spot deterioration. These referrals can be fewer in number but are often well-informed, since the lender already holds detailed financial information on the business.
No single source should be relied on exclusively. A practice built on one referral relationship, however strong, is vulnerable the moment that relationship changes — whether through staff turnover at the referring firm, a change in ownership, or a shift in that partner's own client base.
Building trust with solicitors and accountants
Professional referrers are protective of their own client relationships. They need to know a case will be handled well before they will attach their name to it. A few habits consistently earn that trust:
- Respond to enquiries the same working day, even if only to confirm receipt and next steps.
- Keep the referrer briefed at reasonable intervals, within the bounds of client confidentiality.
- Never attempt to disintermediate the referrer by dealing directly on unrelated work without their knowledge.
- Be honest when a case is not a good fit, and say so early rather than letting it stall.
Regular, low-pressure contact — a short update call, a note on a relevant law change, an invitation to a CPD session — keeps your firm front of mind without feeling like a sales pitch.
It is also worth being explicit, early in a relationship, about what you need from a referrer to act quickly. Solicitors and accountants generally welcome this — it removes guesswork on their side and signals that you take the handover seriously. A short conversation at the start of a relationship often saves weeks of avoidable friction later.
Introducers and lead partners done compliantly
Working with a commission-based introducer is common and legitimate, but it must sit within your regulatory obligations. Insolvency practitioners are bound by their Recognised Professional Body's rules on advertising, referral fees and conflicts of interest, alongside the wider framework set out under the Insolvency Act 1986.
Before entering a referral or introducer arrangement, firms typically check:
- Any referral fee is disclosed to the client, not hidden in the fee structure.
- The introducer does not present itself as a regulated insolvency adviser or hold itself out as acting for the director.
- The arrangement does not compromise the practitioner's independence or judgement on any individual case.
- Marketing material from the introducer is accurate and does not overstate outcomes.
A well-run introducer relationship should feel like an extension of your own referral network — sending you director-ready introductions — not a source of compliance risk.
It is reasonable to ask an introducer how leads are generated, what a director is told before being introduced, and whether the introducer has relationships with more than one practitioner. An introducer that is transparent about all three is generally easier to build a long-term working relationship with than one that treats the process as a black box.
Making it easy for referrers to send work
Friction kills referrals. Solicitors and accountants are busy, and a clunky handover process is often enough reason for a referrer to quietly stop sending work your way. Small changes tend to make a disproportionate difference:
- Give referrers a single, direct contact rather than a generic enquiries inbox.
- Provide a one-page summary of what you need at first contact (company number, main creditors, urgency).
- Offer a short initial call within 24–48 hours wherever possible.
- Follow up with a brief note on what happened, even if the case did not proceed.
Building this into a repeatable process, rather than relying on memory, is the difference between an occasional referral and a genuine referral pipeline for insolvency work.
It is also worth agreeing, with your busiest referrers, a simple shared expectation of turnaround times on both sides — how quickly you will respond to them, and how quickly they can typically get a director to engage once the introduction is made. Written down, even informally, this tends to reduce the number of introductions that stall for want of a clear next step.
Measuring conversion and referrer value
Firms that grow their referral base steadily tend to track a few simple numbers rather than relying on impression alone:
- Referral-to-appointment rate — what proportion of introductions become instructed cases.
- Time to first contact — how quickly your team responds after an introduction.
- Source mix — the split across solicitors, accountants, repeat clients and introducers.
- Referrer retention — whether individual referrers keep sending work over a 12-month period.
Reviewing this quarterly usually shows which relationships are worth investing more time in, and which sources are producing volume without quality.
It is worth resisting the temptation to judge a referral source purely on volume. A solicitor who sends two well-qualified cases a year may deliver more instructed work, over time, than an introducer sending twenty enquiries a month that rarely convert. Tracking conversion by source, not just count by source, keeps this visible.
Staying inside the Code of Ethics as you scale
As referral volume grows, so does the risk of small compliance slips going unnoticed. Practitioners remain individually responsible for meeting their Recognised Professional Body's ethical requirements regardless of how a case arrived. In practice, that generally means:
- Keeping records of referral arrangements and any fees paid, in line with your firm's regulatory obligations.
- Reassessing independence on a case-by-case basis, even for high-volume referral sources.
- Making sure junior staff handling introducer leads understand the same disclosure standards as senior practitioners.
- Reviewing introducer marketing periodically to confirm it still reflects how your firm actually operates.
Guidance on the regulatory framework for practitioners, including the standards Recognised Professional Bodies expect, is set out on gov.uk's regulation of insolvency practitioners page. None of this is a reason to be cautious about growing referral volume — it simply means growth should be matched by the same recordkeeping and oversight discipline the firm already applies to its casework.
Frequently asked questions
Is it risky to rely on one main referral source?
Generally, yes. A single dominant source — even a strong one — leaves a practice exposed if that relationship weakens or the referrer changes firm. Most established practices spread instructions across at least three or four channels.
Is reciprocity expected between solicitors, accountants and insolvency practitioners?
Many professional referral relationships are two-way over time — accountants referring insolvency work and receiving referrals for other services in return, for example. This should never influence advice on an individual case, and any such arrangement should be transparent.
Can HMRC winding-up petition cases be a useful referral source?
Directors facing an HMRC winding-up petition often need to move quickly, and many are actively searching for help once a petition is issued or advertised. Petitions are formally advertised in The Gazette's insolvency notices, which is also where creditors and practitioners can check a case's status. These cases can convert well, but the compressed timeframe means fast, well-briefed handovers matter even more than usual.
How quickly should a firm respond to a new referral?
Same working day is a reasonable minimum, particularly where a director may be facing a statutory deadline, such as the process that can follow a creditor's petition to wind up a company that owes money. Slow responses are one of the most common reasons referrers stop sending work.
Do referral fees need to be disclosed to the client?
Yes. Transparency about any commercial arrangement between a practitioner and a referrer or introducer is a standard expectation under professional conduct rules, and it protects both the referrer relationship and the practitioner's independence.
What is the fastest way to increase referral volume?
There is no shortcut that avoids relationship-building, but the fastest sustainable route is usually to deepen a small number of existing referrer relationships rather than chase many new ones at once. A referrer who already trusts you is far more likely to increase the flow of work than a cold contact is to start one.
This article is general information for insolvency practitioners and referring professionals, not legal, financial or regulatory advice, and firms should check current requirements with their Recognised Professional Body before relying on it. If you would like to discuss a referral partnership, get in touch with Harbourfirst to start an enquiry — Harbourfirst introduces cases to regulated insolvency practitioners and solicitors; it does not provide insolvency or legal advice itself.