A group of four law firms joined forces with insolvency practitioners last week to launch an association that will champion the cause of creditors.

The Insolvency Creditors Association - led by Blake Lapthorn Linnell in London, Moon Beever in London, Stevensdrake in Crawley and Howes Percival in the East Midlands - will bring together solicitors, creditors and insolvency practitioners to promote creditors' interests.

The association will educate creditors on their rights, promote best practice by professionals and lobby against what it sees as an imbalance in favour of debtors.

It will provide an advice helpline for solicitors.

Nick Oliver, head of the insolvency team at Blake Lapthorn Linnell and vice-president of the association, said: 'The law envisages creditors taking an active role in the insolvency process.

This is not what has tended to happen in practice, and our aim is to try to change that.'

Moon Beever partner Frances Coulson, chairwoman of the association's technical committee, said: 'You hear much talk of a "rescue" culture for debtors, but sometimes creditors need rescuing too.

The association will monitor what insolvency practitioners are doing and make sure that creditors are taking full advantage of their rights.'

Rachel Rothwell