SHIFT the way you work.
SHIFT the way you operate.
SHIFT the way you feel.
Let brilliance happen.
We’re not here to slot into the ‘old’ system.
We’re here to SHIFT it. Brilliant people. Brilliant work. Brilliant lives.
That’s the point. That’s the SHIFT.
SHIFT Advisory is a new-law firm with a modern, secondment model: fractional, flexible, human-centred, outcomes-focused, life-enabled.
It’s designed for people—lawyers and clients alike. Built to SHIFT how we work, so we can SHIFT how we live.
Top talent works for us. Clients get that top talent in-house.
Problems solve. Progress happens. People thrive.
That’s the SHIFT way.
How it works
Brilliant Lawyers join SHIFT
Vetted, onboarded, skilled, experienced, and ready to get stuck in.
Clients tell us what they need
Problems, priorities, capacity, expertise, outcomes, and timelines. We scope the solution with – or for – them.
SHIFT HQ expertly matches and creates solution
Lawyer choose role, client chooses lawyer. SHIFT HQ manages the paperwork with each.
Lawyer is seconded, solutions move.
Lawyer and client focus on what matters. SHIFT HQ supports both throughout.
Outcomes achieved. Problems Solved. More brilliance unlocked.
Careers and clients evolve with us – and as part of our community too.
Meet SHIFT HQ –
The legal operators, community builders and system-thinkers who make the SHIFT way real.
Prue Tyler
LLB University of Otago, LLM, Auckland University
Founder, Director
Seeing the opportunity to deliver high quality legal and regulatory services and advice in a new way, Prue founded SHIFT in 2017. Her goal – to create a positive, disruptive force in the legal services market and, through modern work practices, offer clients and lawyers more flexibility, value and better work and life outcomes.
Prue has been practising law since being admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2001. She has experience across a wide range of areas, in particular financial services law.
From establishing her career at two of the ‘big five’ New Zealand law firms, Prue gained experience in two successful boutique law firms and in-house roles within major banks. At SHIFT, Prue has provided contract support to Kiwi Wealth and Westpac and has successfully placed SHIFT Consultants with all the major banks, and a range of listed corporates. Prue is energised by connecting clients with our SHIFT Consultants.
Prue is active in the industry and community. She is a co-founder of various initiatives including Doing Law Differently, a group to showcase different paths a legal career can take, but also to provide support and networking, as well as RegTech NZ. These groups provide networking opportunities and support for different sectors within the community. SHIFT also supports The Women’s Fund and The Kindness Institute and is a board member for Women in Super.
Outside of work, Prue loves to spend time with family, enjoys the arts and being in the outdoors, in particular ocean swimming year-round. She has three young children with her husband Luke, a wide circle of wonderful friends, and is always up for a catch up over coffee!
Get in Touch with Prue
Get in Touch with Caroline
Caroline Ferguson
Chief Operating Officer
Ever since beginning her career, originally as a finance lawyer, Caroline has been passionate about empowering legal teams to adapt and thrive in delivering value to their clients and colleagues.
Caroline transitioned into innovation and technology roles while at global law firm Allen & Overy in London.
She has led and contributed to a variety of projects including the implementation of new business models and processes, the development of technology solutions to enhance efficiency, and the coordination of training programs to strengthen digital capabilities.
As an expert in project design, Caroline specialises in:
- Legal operations and technology
- Process improvement
- Change management
- Design thinking
- Systems thinking
Recently, Caroline completed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Professional training through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. She is a member of the AI Forum’s AI Governance Working Group and has participated in numerous trials of AI tools.
Caroline is an active participant in legal and technology communities locally and globally. She is a mentor for TechWomen and frequently presents at events on topics such as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and innovation.
In her personal time, Caroline enjoys exploring the outdoors with her partner, Ryan, and their two young children, whether at the beach or up a mountain. A yoga enthusiast and avid cyclist, she has completed multiple stages of the Tour de France and dreams of more road cycling adventures in Aotearoa and around the globe.
Cindy Combrink
Financial Controller
Cindy Combrink’s career in business accounts began in 2004, working for several SMEs. She has worked with SHIFT since it was founded in 2017 as a contractor and joined the team permanently in 2021, becoming an integral part of the company. Having provided finance support to SHIFT since its inception, she has a deep working knowledge of the company’s client relationships and provides invaluable input into its financial management.
Cindy is drawn to the values at SHIFT, in particular the way people are valued and cared for within the SHIFT community.
Cindy moved to New Zealand from South Africa with her family in 2016. She is now part of the SHIFT virtual community, working fulltime from home in rural Christchurch where she lives with her husband Chris and two boys. She loves keeping active, especially spending time outdoors or playing ice hockey.
Get in Touch with Cindy
Prue Tyler
Founder, Director (CEO)
Prue founded SHIFT in 2017 with a clear vision: a career in law and a life. After more than 20 years across big firms, boutique practices and major banks, she knew the traditional model wasn’t working for many brilliant lawyers — or for the businesses that relied on them. Something had to shift.
Years later, hundreds of secondments in, countless events, and a long list of clients and consultants, that vision is taking shape — with real people, lawyers and clients alike, working and living more brilliantly. Prue’s vision keeps evolving, and together with the growing SHIFT community and professions, she’s committed to creating more ways that work works for humans.
Brilliant with: external, industry‑facing things she’s involved in.Co-Chair Economic Women ….championing the message at events and in media
Lives brilliantly: family, ocean, arts, coffee.
Her brilliance: connecting people, building solutions that work for humans, shifting the status quo.
Caroline Ferguson
Chief Operating Officer and Transformation Lead
Caroline is SHIFT’s Chief Operating Officer and Transformation Lead — the engine evolving how SHIFT and clients operate.
A former finance lawyer turned innovation, operations and technology expert, particularly legal ops, AI and systems design. She cuts through the noise, translating emerging tech and complex change into practical ways of working that give humans more space to be brilliant.
Caroline is a ops tech nerd (of the infectious kind), is in all the rooms, thinking ahead, and is brilliant at ensuring SHIFT and our clients benefit. She’s even qualified in emerging areas, such as AI Governance.
Brilliant with: the AI Forum’s AI Governance Working Group, participating in AI trials, contributing to NZ and global tech communities, mentoring with TechWomen, and speaking on diversity, equity, inclusion and innovation.
Lives brilliantly: outdoors, family, yoga, cycling (or finding the time to do so!)
Her brilliance: designing smarter systems, transforming how teams operate and ensuring ops works for human.
Cindy Combrink
Chief Financial Controller and Impact Lead
Cindy is SHIFT’s financial and impact lead — the person who turns vision into reality. She’s been with SHIFT since the beginning and is central to its growth, impact and making sure our work works for humans.
She brings sharp financial thinking, strategic insight and a deep care for people, shaping everything from our policies to our pay equity approach.
She’s also the one who ensures everyone gets paid — accurately, fairly and on time — which says everything about her blend of rigour and heart.
Brilliant with: shaping fair policies, championing pay equity and driving SHIFT’s impact work.
Lives brilliantly: rural Christchurch, family, ice hockey, reading.
Her brilliance: turning values into practice, data, financial clarity, challenging “how it’s always been done” and driving growth that stays human.
Arna Sluzenski
Chief People and Culture Officer
Working passionately in the legal industry since 2009; starting out as a legal assistant, before becoming practice manager of a leading firm; Arna understands both the business of law and how to operate successfully within this environment.
Equal parts collaborator and connector, Arna is motivated by the success of others. Her authentic engagement with people and genuine desire to see others achieve underpins her support of the SHIFT team to deliver to the highest standards in a human way.
Constantly inspired by the SHIFT community and clients, Arna is proud to work with SHIFT to challenge and improve the delivery of legal and regulatory services in New Zealand.
