Johnson Law Group is a leading legal services provider operating across both the U.S. and U.K., with distinct Microsoft 365 environments for each region. The firm manages a rapidly expanding document repository, currently totaling over 8TB, and relies on SharePoint integrated with Salesforce to support its case document lifecycle. With evolving compliance requirements and growing demands for cross-border collaboration, the client sought to optimize their Microsoft 365 and SharePoint implementations for security, efficiency, and regulatory alignment.

The Johnson Law Group faced several critical challenges stemming from their dual-tenant Microsoft 365 setup. Operational silos between the U.S. and U.K. tenants resulted in inconsistent security policies, fragmented governance, and differing compliance practices (notably GDPR in the U.K. and HIPAA in the U.S.). Document management processes lacked automation, resulting in manual handling of large PDF files and limited metadata or classification controls. External sharing practices were ad hoc, with insufficient audit trails and limited oversight of guest access. Integration with Salesforce supported case workflows but introduced complexities around data residency and retention. User adoption rates were moderate (59% U.S., 48% U.K.), and end-user experience varied across regions.

To address these challenges, we conducted a two-week Microsoft 365 assessment using a structured, best-practices-driven approach. This included stakeholder interviews, technical deep-dives into SharePoint, and workshops focused on document management and compliance needs. Our team analyzed governance models, security configurations, and adoption scores, benchmarking them against legal industry standards. We mapped the end-to-end document lifecycle, identified gaps in retention, classification, and external sharing, and reviewed the effectiveness of Salesforce integration. Recommendations were delivered through a detailed assessment report and executive briefing, accompanied by a practical roadmap for remediation and ongoing improvement.

The engagement provided Johnson Law Group with a clear and actionable assessment of their Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Key outcomes included:

• Identification of critical security and compliance risks related to inconsistent access controls and insufficient retention policies.

• Practical recommendations for aligning U.S. and U.K. tenant governance, including standardized sensitivity labels, DLP policies, and streamlined external sharing.

• A phased roadmap for improving document lifecycle automation, user adoption strategies, and cross-system integrations—helping lay the foundation for future scalability.

• Greater visibility into storage utilization, adoption metrics, and workflow inefficiencies, allowing the firm to prioritize investments and reduce operational risk.

Stakeholder engagement was central to the assessment’s success. We established clear channels of communication with legal, IT, and executive stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic, ensuring that all perspectives were captured. Regular progress updates, open Q&A forums, and collaborative working sessions built consensus around priorities and next steps. Key internal champions—including the CTO, IT admins, and project managers—were empowered with actionable insights and recommendations tailored to their roles. Sensitive compliance topics were addressed directly with relevant data privacy officers, ensuring regulatory obligations were fully understood and incorporated into the roadmap.

This project reinforced the importance of holistic, cross-functional collaboration in technology modernization efforts—especially in highly regulated sectors like legal services. Early alignment on objectives and definitions of success was critical to managing expectations across regions. Automated controls and standardized policies must be prioritized to reduce reliance on manual interventions and limit security exposures. Finally, investing in user adoption and training is essential to realizing the full business value of Microsoft 365 and SharePoint—technology improvements alone are not enough without sustained user engagement.