Marking 5 Years at Sort Group - James Price
13 Apr 2026
This month, we're celebrating an exciting milestone for our Lead Developer, James Price, as he reaches five years with Sort Group. From day one, he has brought a passion for problem-solving in coding and tackling complex problems into practical, effective solutions for the Group.
Over the past five years, James has grown from hands-on development to leading, planning and architecture, helping shape how the team works while supporting the development of our systems. During this time, he has worked on many projects, including a standout in the data onboarding rework and is now able to share his knowledge within the team and help others grow.
To celebrate this milestone, we took some time to get to know James and his time at Sort Group a little more, from his favourite coding language and key projects, to his thoughts on AI and how it’s shaping the way our developers work, as well as future goals…
What first drew you to SortRefer, and what made you get into software development?
I've always been drawn to the problem-solving side of coding; the satisfaction of taking something complex and building a clean, elegant solution from the ground up. SortRefer appealed to me because it offered the chance to move away from off-the-shelf fixes. I love the challenge of crafting bespoke solutions that genuinely fit a business's unique needs, rather than forcing a business to bend around rigid, generic software.
Over the past five years, how has your role developed and changed in ways you didn't expect?
Early on, I measured success by the elegance of my code and the number of tickets I cleared. Moving into a Lead role, the biggest shift has been in how I define "done." I still care deeply about throughput, but I now spend much more time on planning and architecture, finding the right balance between writing clear, detailed tickets and leaving enough flexibility for colleagues to put their own stamp on the implementation.
What projects have you worked on that you're most proud of?
The data-driven onboarding rework stands out above everything else. It wasn't just about the code. It was about the impact. Seeing a project move from initial research all the way through to a live tool that empowers other teams to design and iterate on their own products independently is incredibly satisfying. That kind of impact is what makes the work meaningful.
How has the evolution of technology changed the way you work day-to-day?
Technology has made it faster and more accessible to build tailored solutions to complex problems. What might have taken weeks a few years ago can now be prototyped and iterated on far more quickly, which means we can focus our energy on the more nuanced, creative challenges. We’re starting to integrate more AI solutions in our products to speed up the conveyancing process.
What's your favourite coding language and why?
Day-to-day, I work primarily in TypeScript, but PHP remains my language of choice. It's fast, practical, easy to develop and manage, and backed by a rich ecosystem of libraries. It gets out of the way and lets you focus on solving the actual problem.
Where do you think the future of AI is heading, and how do you see it shaping the way developers work at Sort?
I see AI as a genuinely useful tool rather than a disruptor; one that handles the more tedious, repetitive tasks so developers can focus on higher-value work. It saves real time on things like hunting down niche or highly specific issues, and it has strong potential in data checking, extraction, and reliability. Used well, it can take the drudgery out of mundane tasks.
Thinking back to your early days as a developer, what advice would you pass on to your past self?
Write more tests. There are never enough tests. Future you will be very grateful.
Looking ahead, what's a personal goal you'd like to achieve in your role at Sort Group?
I'm focused on tackling the legacy friction in our codebases by proactively addressing technical debt and refactoring inefficient processes, so our systems are more scalable, resilient, and easier to maintain long-term. But equally important to me is being a strong source of technical knowledge for my colleagues. I want to share best practices, foster a genuinely collaborative environment, and help the team grow so we can solve complex problems more efficiently together. Ultimately, I'd like my legacy at Sort Group to be a more cohesive team and a more robust technical foundation; one that lets us innovate faster and with more confidence as we integrate more and more external systems into our product range.
Here's what our Chief Technology Officer, Gerard Howell has to say about Jame's time at Sort:
"It's always a real pleasure working with James. Over the past five years he's built out the core of our client onboarding platform and handled complex integrations with Sort Legal. He's respected across the team for his legendary problem-solving ability and willingness to mentor others. James is the first to roll up his sleeves, has zero ego, and I've lost count of how many times I've benefited from bouncing ideas off him. He's also the only lead developer I've worked with who occasionally turns up dressed as a pirate. If he ever tries to leave, I'm hiding his leather hat!"
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