Judge & Priestley: Strategic IT Review & ITDaaS

Judge & Priestley are a long-established, multi-disciplinary law firm with a strong reputation in the South East. Growth through acquisition forms a central pillar of their business strategy and they are known as being a leader and early adopter when it comes to tech and innovation, yet their IT environment felt like it was holding them back from what they wanted to achieve.

After meeting at a legal industry event, Judge & Priestly instructed Lights-On Consulting to carry out a Strategic IT Review, which identified some key challenges and gave them the beginnings of an action plan.

The Challenge

After the tragic passing of their long-standing IT manager, the IT function had effectively been “on pause” due to an unprecedented period of disruption. Day-to-day operations were maintained, but leadership capacity was understandably constrained, and longer-term initiatives were placed on hold while the firm assessed the right next steps.

At the same time, the firm faced mounting pressures: multiple compliance deadlines with a legacy of disruption following the dissolution of their old MSP as a result of a cyber incident. This became the perfect melting pot of challenges.

What Judge & Priestley needed was stability, accountability, and a roadmap for transformation – delivered quickly with the ability to underpin the firm’s ambitions for further growth.

The Solution

Judge & Preistley made the strategic decision to bring in independent, senior IT leadership to stabilise the environment and put a future-ready model in place.

Lights-On Consulting were initially invited in to conduct an IT Executive Review. The report provided clarity on the challenges and delivered a structured documented view of what needed to be addressed. From there, Lights-On were engaged to provide hands-on leadership, bringing in Nicola Martin as a trusted interim partner.

Nicola’s role was to steady the ship and drive transformation. She:

• Re-established ownership and accountability for IT
• Prioritised and mobilised critical workstreams
• Built a realistic roadmap aligned to J&P’s growth strategy
• Supported recruitment of senior IT leadership to provide continuity

This wasn’t about “quick fixes” – it was about rebuilding confidence in IT, stabilising the platform, and setting a pace that would allow the firm to grow with certainty.

The Outcome

Within just six months, Judge & Priestley achieved a remarkable turnaround:

• Stability restored: Core systems were stabilised and infrastructure upgraded
• Successfully re-certified to ISO 27701 and awarded PCI compliance
• New telephony rolled out and a new service management tool introduced
• Leadership strengthened: A senior services manager appointed to support day-to-day operations
• Staff re-engaged with IT, with issues now being logged and resolved

What’s Next?

Judge & Priestley are now moving forward with confidence – exploring AI capabilities, investing in their office footprint, and positioning IT as an enabler of business growth.

They now have a clear roadmap of how they want their IT innovation to continue to develop and all the ‘pins’ in projects have been removed, allowing them to move forward.

Nicola Martin, Consultant at Lights-On, said: “When I started working with Judge & Priestley, the IT team were understandably stretched, and the function had lost some momentum. What stood out immediately was the firm’s clarity of intent and willingness to collaborate and engage openly. The leadership team were decisive and committed to getting IT back on the front foot – which allowed us to stabilise systems quickly and move into planning for innovation.”

Managing Partner of Judge & Preistley, Steven Taylor said: “We recognised that our IT function needed strong leadership and strategic direction to support the firm’s growth. Lights-On Consulting brought exactly that – clear expertise, independence, and the ability to quickly turn plans into action. They’ve restored confidence in IT across the business and positioned us strongly for the future.”

Their story shows how quickly stability can be restored and transformation achieved with the right partner. Lights-On Consulting bring not only deep sector expertise but also the practical leadership to get firms through difficult transitions and prepare them for the future.

If your firm is navigating growth, regulatory pressures, or a change in IT leadership, Lights-On can provide the clarity, capability, and confidence to move forward.

Interested in how Lights-On can help your firm? Please get in touch with our team.