O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue

What O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue does

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue LLP is a union-side labor and employee benefits law firm founded in 1935 by Martin F. O'Donoghue in Washington, D.C. The firm provides comprehensive legal representation to labor unions, their collectively-bargained employee benefit plans, and workers on a local, regional, and national basis. It operates across three interconnected practice areas: Labor Law (union organizing, collective bargaining, NLRB proceedings, contract enforcement, and internal governance), Employee Benefits Law (ERISA compliance, plan design and administration, fiduciary matters, government audits, and litigation for Taft-Hartley multiemployer plans), and Government Affairs (legislative advocacy, lobbying, political fund administration, and construction procurement policy reform such as prevailing wage laws and project labor agreements). The firm serves as general counsel to three international building and construction trades unions and a department of the AFL-CIO.

The firm is structured as a limited liability partnership headquartered at 5301 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., with additional offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Annapolis, Maryland. It employs 11-50 people, including over 30 attorneys with specialized backgrounds as former union organizers, NLRB attorneys, and Department of Labor advisors. Its client base includes more than 100 employee benefit plans ranging from fewer than 100 to over 100,000 participants, with plan assets from $1 million to $15 billion, along with a broad spectrum of unions spanning asbestos workers, electrical workers, ironworkers, plumbers, pipefitters, teamsters, letter carriers, and many others.

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue operates a sales-led, professional-services business model, generating revenue through legal representation billed on a quote-based basis (typically hourly rates or retainer arrangements standard to the legal industry; no pricing is publicly disclosed). Client acquisition relies on established reputation within the labor community, referrals from existing union clients, and direct outreach from labor organizations, rather than active marketing. The firm delivers services directly through engagement agreements and does not use resellers, distributors, or technology platforms; its differentiation rests on nearly 90 years of specialized expertise in laws affecting unions and benefit funds, including the NLRA, Taft-Hartley, Landrum-Griffin, ERISA, and related statutes.

Name

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue

Legal name

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue LLP

Website

https://odonoghuelaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue LLP is one of the oldest and largest union-side labor and employee benefits law firms in the U.S., representing labor unions, Taft-Hartley multiemployer benefit plans, and workers across three offices via three practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor and Employee Benefits Legal Services

NAICS

Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Taft-Hartley / Union Multiemployer Group Health Plans (FSAIAFAG), Ancillary Benefits TPA (Dental/Vision/Life/Accident/Critical Illness) (HLAEALAN)

Keywords

• Labor law services
• Employee benefits law
• Union-side representation
• ERISA compliance counsel
• Collective bargaining advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Revenue: The firm generates revenue through providing comprehensive legal representation services to labor unions and employee benefit funds. Services include advising on labor laws, representing clients in courts and before administrative agencies, drafting and amending plans, and providing ongoing counsel on compliance matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue LLP is a union-side labor and employee benefits law firm providing comprehensive legal representation to labor unions and their collectively-bargained employee benefit plans. The firm serves as general counsel to international building trades unions and a department of the AFL-CIO, advising on organizing, collective bargaining, NLRB proceedings, internal governance, ERISA compliance, plan administration, fiduciary matters, benefit litigation, and government affairs advocacy at local, state, and federal levels.

Product overview

O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue LLP is a union-side labor and employee benefits law firm offering three interconnected legal service practice areas: Labor Law Services (representing labor unions in organizing, collective bargaining, and internal operations), Employee Benefits Law Services (counseling Taft-Hartley multiemployer benefit plans on ERISA compliance, administration, and litigation), and Government Affairs Services (advocating for policy objectives at all government levels). The firm was established in 1935 and maintains offices in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Annapolis, Maryland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Labor Law Services Comprehensive legal representation and counsel for international, national, intermediate, and local unions in the private and public sectors, covering all aspects of union affairs from organizing new members to negotiating collective bargaining agreements, administering internal operations, and representing unions before the NLRB, state labor relations boards, and in state and federal court.
• Employee Benefits Law Services
• Government Affairs Services Political and public policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, including legislation drafting and lobbying, political and legislative fund administration, lobbying law compliance, and construction procurement policy reform such as prevailing wage laws, project labor agreements, and responsible contractor policies.
• Employee Benefits Law Services Representation and counsel for national, regional, and local employee benefit plans, including defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, 401(k), medical, vacation, apprentice and welfare plans under Taft-Hartley, jointly-trusteed multiemployer plans, and union staff plans, covering plan drafting, administration, fiduciary matters, ERISA compliance, DOL/IRS audit defense, withdrawal liability, collection actions, and benefit claims litigation.

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Wagner Law Group: Boston-based employee benefits and pension law firm specializing in ERISA, multiemployer plans, and retirement plan matters - a comparable niche in the same side of the practice spectrum.
• Beeson, Tayer & Bodine: Union-side labor law firm serving labor organizations and benefit funds on collective bargaining, ERISA, and internal governance - directly comparable practice areas to O'Donoghue, with a similar niche positioning.
• Gladstein Reif & Mager LLP: Union-side law firm providing labor, employment, and benefits counsel to unions and benefit funds - a direct peer along the same employee-benefits and labor-law dimensions.
• Cohen, Weiss & Simon LLP: Major union-side labor law firm based in New York, representing private-sector labor unions and joint Taft-Hartley funds in collective bargaining, litigation, and benefits matters - comparable in practice mix and client type to O'Donoghue.
• James & Hoffman PC: Union-side labor law firm representing unions, benefit plans, and individual workers in the same statutes (NLRA, LMRDA, ERISA) that O'Donoghue practices in, with a similar niche concentration.
• Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld PC: Union-side labor law firm representing private-sector labor unions and joint labor-management benefit funds in California and nationally - comparable to O'Donoghue in union and Taft-Hartley practice.
• Bredhoff & Kaiser PLLC: Washington, D.C.-based union-side law firm specializing in labor law, ERISA, and multiemployer benefit plans - the most direct comparable to O'Donoghue in terms of mission, clientele (large international unions and Taft-Hartley funds), and geographic footprint.
• Sherrard, German & Kelly PC: Labor and employee benefits law firm representing unions and multiemployer/Taft-Hartley benefit plans in Pittsburgh - a close peer specializing in the same ERISA and collective-bargaining matters.
• Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP: Los Angeles-based boutique focusing on employee benefits, including Taft-Hartley and multiemployer plan matters - comparable specialty in ERISA and benefits work.

Broad incumbents

• Seyfarth Shaw LLP: Large national full-service firm with a substantial Labor & Employment and Employee Benefits practice serving both union and management clients - a broad incumbent that overlaps O'Donoghue in Taft-Hartley/ERISA work but at much larger scale and from the management side.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ODonoghuelaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue