Solicitors taking the exams to become insolvency practitioners have done better than ever before by achieving a near-50 per cent pass rate and performing better than the accountants.

Thirteen solicitors sat the Joint Insolvency Examination Board, out of 350 candidates, who were mainly accountants.

Six of the solicitors passed, two were referred in only one subject, and five failed.

James Lingard, consultant at Norton Rose and chair of the JIEB, says solicitors are doing much better in these exams than in the past.