What Macpherson Kelley does

Macpherson Kelley is a full-service Australian commercial law firm headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Brisbane, Dandenong, Sydney, and Adelaide, employing approximately 300 people. Founded in 1905 by Jeffrey Macpherson and Charles Kelley, the firm has operated as a fully integrated national practice under a Board of Directors since 2015 and was incorporated as Macpherson Kelley Pty Ltd on 18 February 2008. The firm handles an estimated 10,000+ client matters annually and operates through a multi-entity corporate group (Macpherson Kelley Pty Ltd, M&K Lawyers Holdings Pty Ltd, M&K Lawyers Investments Pty Ltd, M&K Lawyers Nominee Pty Ltd, and Macpherson Kelley Services Pty Ltd).

Name

Macpherson Kelley

Legal name

Macpherson Kelley

Website

https://mk.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Macpherson Kelley is a 1905-founded full-service Australian commercial law firm with ~300 staff across five offices (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Dandenong, Adelaide), delivering corporate, litigation, employment, property, and private client services to enterprise and mid-market clients nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Revenue generated through professional legal service fees charged to clients for legal advice, representation, and related legal services across various practice areas including corporate, litigation, employment, property, and private client matters. Fees are typically billed on time-based, fixed fee, or matter-based arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Macpherson Kelley is a full-service Australian commercial law firm providing legal advisory, transactional, and litigation services across corporate, commercial, employment, property, private client, and dispute resolution matters. Services are delivered by approximately 300 professionals across five offices (Brisbane, Dandenong, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide), with industry-specialised teams serving sectors such as agribusiness, motor dealers, technology, health/aged care, manufacturing, and property development. The firm handles around 10,000 client matters per year on time-based, fixed fee, or matter-based fee arrangements.

Product overview

Macpherson Kelley is a full-service Australian commercial law firm (not a software product) offering legal services across multiple practice areas including Commercial, Corporate, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Employment, Private Clients, and Property. The firm operates on a platform model with specialist teams in each practice area that work together to serve clients across industries including Agribusiness, Technology, Motor Dealers, Health/Aged Care, Manufacturing, and Property Development. The firm has approximately 300 people across five offices (Brisbane, Dandenong, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide) handling an estimated 10,000 client matters annually. Founded in 1905, the firm operates as a unified national practice under Macpherson Kelley Pty Ltd and related entities, supported by international networks including MultiLaw, Pacific Legal Network, and PrivacyRules for cross-border legal capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Macpherson Kelley Foundation: Charitable foundation supporting children, disadvantaged communities and animal welfare in Australia and overseas, established in 2016.

Products and services

• Banking and Finance Legal advisory and transactional services covering banking and finance transactions, lending arrangements, and financial regulatory matters for corporate borrowers, lenders, and financial institutions.
• Competition and Consumer Law Legal services addressing competition law compliance, consumer protection, ACCC investigations, and trade practices for businesses operating in Australia.
• Franchising Legal advisory for franchisors and franchisees covering franchise agreements, disclosure documents, and regulatory compliance.
• Intellectual Property IP protection and enforcement services including trademark prosecution, trade secrets, and brand protection strategies for brand owners and IP holders.
• International Clients and Inbound Investments Legal services for foreign businesses entering the Australian market, including FIRB compliance and joint venture structuring.
• Mergers and Acquisitions Corporate transaction advisory covering share and asset acquisitions, divestments, due diligence, and transaction structuring.
• Privacy Law Privacy compliance services addressing Australian Privacy Principles, data protection, and cross-border data transfers.
• Tax and Structuring Tax advisory and corporate structuring services including tax planning, restructuring, and ATO dispute resolution.
• Trade Law Trade law services covering import/export regulations, customs compliance, and international trade arrangements.
• Corporate Advisory, Compliance and Governance Corporate governance advisory, board compliance, director duties, and ASX/Corporations Act obligations for companies and their boards.
• Equity Capital Markets Capital markets services including IPOs, secondary offerings, and listing rule compliance on ASX and other exchanges.
• Takeovers and Control Transactions Takeover advisory, scheme of arrangement, and control transaction services under Chapter 6 of the Corporations Act.
• Commercial Disputes Commercial litigation services covering contract disputes, business torts, and complex commercial matters in all Australian courts.
• Debt Recovery Debt collection and recovery services for commercial creditors across all Australian jurisdictions.
• Shareholder and Partnership Disputes Dispute resolution for shareholder oppression claims, partnership conflicts, and joint venture disagreements.
• Restructuring and Insolvency Corporate insolvency services including receiverships, administrations, liquidations, and creditor advisory.
• Employment Law Employment law services covering workplace relations, unfair dismissal, enterprise agreements, and employment contracts.
• Migration Services Visa and immigration services for individuals and businesses including employer-sponsored visas and business migration.
• Workplace Safety WHS compliance advisory, safety investigations, and defence of workplace health and safety prosecutions.
• Family Law Family law services including divorce, property settlements, parenting matters, and binding financial agreements for individuals and families.
• Wills and Estates Estate planning, will drafting, testamentary trusts, and estate administration services for private clients.
• Property Law Commercial property transactions, leases, developments, and property-related dispute resolution.
• Planning and Environment Planning and environment law services including development approvals, land use appeals, and environmental compliance.
• Infrastructure, Construction and Energy Construction law, infrastructure projects, and energy sector legal services including construction contracts and disputes.
• Agribusiness Industry Services Specialised legal services for the agricultural sector including horticulture code compliance, supply chain, and primary production matters.
• Technology Industry Services Legal services tailored for technology companies including software licensing, data privacy, and tech sector transactions.
• Motor Dealers Industry Services Specialised services for automotive dealers covering franchise agreements, regulatory compliance, and commercial transactions.
• Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living Services Legal services for healthcare providers, aged care operators, and retirement living developers.
• Macpherson Kelley Foundation Charitable foundation supporting children, disadvantaged communities, and animal welfare in Australia and overseas, established in 2016.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ client matters solved yearly

Named customers7 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MultiLawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal association of law firms that Macpherson Kelley is affiliated with, enabling cross-jurisdictional legal services and international collaboration for clients with global legal needs.
• Pacific Legal Network (PLN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of law firms in the Pacific spanning 21 jurisdictions. PLN has been operating for 25 years and is the only legal brand of its kind working across more than one Pacific Island country.
• International Trademark Association (INTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal association focused on trademarks and intellectual property. Macpherson Kelley lawyers actively participate in INTA events including the Annual Meeting, contributing to global IP discussions and knowledge sharing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Holding Redlich: Holding Redlich is a national Australian commercial law firm with comparable headcount and practice areas (corporate, commercial, litigation, property), targeting similar mid-market clients in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra.
• Lander & Rogers: Lander & Rogers is a closely sized Australian mid-tier commercial law firm with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra, offering the same broad practice mix and competing for the same mid-market corporate and private client mandates as Macpherson Kelley.
• Gadens: Gadens is an Australian commercial law firm of comparable scale serving clients across corporate, commercial, real estate, and litigation matters, with national office coverage that overlaps directly with Macpherson Kelley's footprint.
• Piper Alderman: Piper Alderman is a national Australian commercial law firm with similar size, multi-office structure, and full-service practice mix, competing for the same mid-market clients in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
• Sparke Helmore: Sparke Helmore is an Australian mid-tier commercial law firm of similar headcount and practice breadth, competing for the same enterprise and government clients across insurance, commercial, and dispute resolution work.
• Mills Oakley: Mills Oakley is an Australian full-service commercial law firm of comparable size and breadth, with a similar multi-office national footprint and practice-area mix (commercial, corporate, litigation, property). It competes head-to-head with Macpherson Kelley for mid-market enterprise clients in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.
• HWL Ebsworth: HWL Ebsworth is Australia's largest independent law firm with several hundred lawyers and a national office network, offering the same breadth of practice areas as Macpherson Kelley but at meaningfully larger scale, frequently competing for the same mid-market enterprise clients.
• McCullough Robertson: McCullough Robertson is one of Australia's largest independent law firms with a similar full-service commercial offering, headquartered in Brisbane with strong industry specialisation that directly parallels Macpherson Kelley's agribusiness, technology, and resources focus.

Broad incumbents

• Allens: Allens is a leading Australian international law firm (part of the 'Big 6' Australian firms) with substantially greater scale; while it operates in the same practice areas as Macpherson Kelley, it serves larger corporates, international transactions, and complex matters beyond MK's mid-market focus.
• Clayton Utz: Clayton Utz is one of Australia's largest commercial law firms with a similarly broad service offering (corporate, commercial, litigation, property), but operates at significantly larger scale, serving ASX-listed and government clients beyond Macpherson Kelley's mid-market sweet spot.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mklawyers
• Xx.com/mklawyers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macpherson-kelley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Macpherson Kelley