Wansbroughs Solicitors: Creating a Technology Roadmap for Future Growth
Lights-On Consulting helped Wansbroughs take a strategic, evidence-based view of its IT environment, providing independent clarity on current priorities and future investment.
The Executive IT Review gave the firm a practical technology roadmap to support growth, improve user experience and strengthen long-term decision-making.
Wansbroughs is a long-established, full-service law firm based in Devizes, Wiltshire. With over 115 employees, including 20 partners and 43 lawyers, the firm has built a strong reputation across commercial property, private client, agriculture, landed estates and dispute resolution.
As the firm continued to evolve and embrace increasingly flexible ways of working, the leadership team wanted to ensure that their technology environment was fully aligned with their long-term business ambitions.
Recognising the importance of taking a strategic view of IT, Wansbroughs engaged Lights-On Consulting to undertake a comprehensive Executive IT Review.
The Challenge
Like many progressive law firms, Wansbroughs had invested significantly in technology over the years and wanted independent advice on how best to maximise the value of those investments.
The firm had identified opportunities to improve user experience, support hybrid working more effectively and ensure their technology estate could continue to support future growth.
In particular, they wanted to understand:
- Whether their current technology platforms remained the right fit for the business
- How to improve the experience for users both in and out of the office
- Where future technology investment would deliver the greatest value
- How emerging technologies and changing ways of working should influence their IT strategy
- What a practical roadmap for the next three to five years should look like
Most importantly, they wanted an independent, vendor-neutral view that would allow them to make informed decisions with confidence.
The Approach
Lights-On Consulting carried out a detailed Executive IT Review over a two-month period. Managed and delivered by Alasdair Sowerby from start to finish.
The review combined extensive technical due diligence with interviews across the business, engaging with approximately one-third of all staff. This level of participation provided valuable insight into how technology was being used across different departments and practice areas, helping to build a comprehensive picture of both current requirements and future aspirations.
The review examined:
- Business objectives and strategic priorities
- Technology platforms and infrastructure
- Practice management systems and workflows
- User experience and hybrid working
- Cyber security and resilience
- IT governance and service delivery
- Team structure, skills and future capability requirements
- Opportunities to leverage emerging technologies
By combining technical analysis with direct feedback from users, Lights-On were able to identify not only where improvements could be made, but also how those improvements could best support the firm’s wider business goals.
The Findings
One of the most valuable outcomes of the review was providing clarity around the firm’s technology priorities.
While there was initial concern that significant change to core business systems might be required, the review revealed that many of the opportunities for improvement could be achieved through targeted enhancements to the underlying technology environment and supporting infrastructure.
This insight enabled the firm to avoid potentially unnecessary disruption and instead focus on a more measured, strategic programme of improvement.
The review delivered:
- A clear long-term technology vision aligned to business objectives
- Recommendations to improve performance, usability and user experience
- A roadmap for creating a more resilient and future-ready technology platform
- Guidance on appropriate investment priorities and timelines
- Recommendations around IT governance, communication and service delivery
- Strategic advice on the future evolution of the IT function
- Independent market insight into future technology options and opportunities
The result was a practical and achievable roadmap that balanced immediate improvements with longer-term strategic ambitions.
The Outcome – Where are they now?
The Executive IT Review provided Wansbroughs with a clear understanding of where they were today, where they wanted to be in the future, and the steps required to get there.
Rather than making reactive decisions or embarking on large-scale change programmes without full visibility, the firm was able to evaluate a range of options, understand associated costs and timescales, and prioritise initiatives that would deliver the greatest business value.
The review also helped establish a framework for future decision-making, ensuring that technology investment remains aligned with the firm’s wider objectives around growth, service excellence and operational efficiency.
By taking a strategic, evidence-based approach, Wansbroughs gained a technology roadmap designed to support both the business and its people for years to come.
Since presenting the executive review in early April 2026, the firm have now made substantial headway with:
- Infrastructure upgrades: Server resources and architectural changes – which have delivered a noticeable improvement in the performance of their Practice, Case and Document management solution. Upgraded WAN bandwidth and improvements to the wireless network coverage, which are anticipated to deliver similarly.
- Improvements to the ICT Support service: extended hours and increased ICT engagement with the business; e.g. floor walking and IT attendance at some practice area team meetings – which have been received very positively and allowed some service improvements already.
- Standardisation and improvements to user hardware: e.g. headsets, hot desks, meeting room AV systems and laptops to better support modern workplace flexible working.
- A plan to change telephony provider and embrace a Microsoft Teams unified communications solution at the end of the summer.
Working Together
The success of the review was underpinned by the firm’s openness and engagement throughout the process. Colleagues across the business contributed valuable feedback and insights, enabling the review to reflect the experiences and requirements of the wider firm rather than just the technology team.
Alasdair Sowerby, Consultant at Lights-On Consulting, commented:
“Wansbroughs were highly engaged throughout the review process and demonstrated a genuine commitment at all levels to understanding how technology could better support the firm’s future ambitions. Their openness and willingness to challenge assumptions allowed us to uncover valuable insights and develop a practical roadmap, which balanced strategic ambition with operational reality. It was a pleasure working with a firm that combines such a strong culture with a clear focus on continuous improvement.”
Interested in how Lights-On can help your firm? Please get in touch with our team.
“Lights-On brought an invaluable combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking and legal sector knowledge. Their review challenged assumptions, provided genuine insight and gave us a clear roadmap for the future. The recommendations were practical, commercially focused and tailored to our firm’s ambitions. We now have greater clarity, confidence and a stronger foundation for future technology decisions.”
Anna Wensley Stock, Co-Managing Partner of Wansbroughs