What Phi Finney McDonald does

Phi Finney McDonald is a specialist Australian plaintiff law firm founded in 2017 in Melbourne by three former Slater & Gordon lawyers — Ben Phi, Tim Finney, and Odette McDonald — focused exclusively on large-scale and complex class action litigation. The firm represents shareholders, employees, consumers, and public-interest groups in matters spanning shareholder class actions (BHP, Mayne Pharma, Freedom Foods, Mesoblast, Star Entertainment, Nuix, Westpac, WiseTech, Light & Wonder), employment/wage-theft claims (Domino's), consumer and digital-platform actions (Google & Apple, Sony PlayStation), human-rights and public-interest litigation (IMARC protest class action, NT Remote Housing class action), and climate justice (Torres Strait Islanders v Commonwealth). It operates from offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and London, the latter opened in November 2020 to enter the UK collective-redress market. The firm has achieved approximately AUD $500M in cumulative settlements across the managing director's career and recorded multiple eight-figure settlements in 2024-2025, including the September 2025 BHP $110M conditional settlement and the August 2025 Federal Court win against Google and Apple.

The firm's core "product" is legal representation and case administration in multi-party litigation, supported by an in-house data-science capability for e-discovery (data scientist Craig Macaulay named an AI Visionary by Relativity in 2023). Its business model is primarily contingency-fee based for class actions, with revenue calculated as a percentage of settlement or judgment amounts; supplementary hourly billing applies to select matters. Capital intensity is mitigated through partnerships with seven or more litigation funders — Therium, Omni Bridgeway, Woodsford, Vannin Capital, G&E KTMC Funding, CASL, ICP Funding/Investor Claim Partner — which finance cases on a no-win-no-fee basis in exchange for typically 15-20% commissions on recoveries. Distribution is direct, supplemented by co-counsel arrangements with Maurice Blackburn, William Roberts Lawyers, Shine Lawyers, and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, and by referral pipelines from litigation funders, institutional investors, and other law firms.

Name

Phi Finney McDonald

Legal name

Phi Finney McDonald Pty Ltd

Website

https://phifinneymcdonald.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plaintiff Class Action Litigation Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Valuation (damages, shareholder disputes) (FSAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Class action litigation
• Shareholder class actions
• Employment class actions
• Plaintiff litigation services
• Group litigation representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Phi Finney McDonald generates revenue through professional legal services, typically structured on a contingency fee basis where fees are calculated as a percentage of settlement or judgment amounts. The firm also operates on hourly billing for certain matters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Phi Finney McDonald is a specialist plaintiff-side class action litigation law firm representing shareholders, employees, individuals, and communities in large-scale, complex multi-party disputes. The firm handles shareholder class actions (against ASX-listed companies for breaches of continuous disclosure and misleading conduct), employment/wage-theft class actions, human rights and public interest litigation, and climate justice litigation, operating primarily on a contingency fee or no-win-no-fee basis supported by third-party litigation funders. It also administers approved class action settlements and provides co-counsel representation in joint matters.

Product overview

Phi Finney McDonald is a specialist class action litigation law firm offering legal representation and advocacy services for shareholder class actions, employment/wage theft class actions, human rights cases, and climate litigation. The firm operates as a legal services practice rather than a software product company, providing services including class action registration management, legal proceedings representation, and settlement administration. The firm has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and London, and has collaborated with litigation funders and partner law firms to conduct class actions across various sectors including mining and energy, healthcare, food and beverage, retail, construction, and technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shareholder Class Action Legal Representation Plaintiff-side class action representation for institutional and retail investors in ASX-listed companies (and comparable UK companies) who have suffered losses from alleged breaches of continuous disclosure obligations, misleading or deceptive conduct, and corporate fraud. Operated on a no-win-no-fee basis with litigation funder support.
• Employment Class Action Legal Representation Class action representation for employees and workers alleging systematic underpayment, denial of award entitlements, or unfair labor practices against major corporations, including acting for delivery drivers and in-store workers in wage-theft matters.
• Human Rights and Public Interest Class Action Litigation Class action representation on human rights, civil liberties, and public interest matters, including protest rights and Aboriginal rights cases, with strategic partnerships with community legal centres and advocacy organizations.
• Climate Justice Class Action Litigation Class action representation on climate justice matters, representing First Nations communities and individuals seeking legal remedy from government for climate change impacts and breach of duty of care.
• NT Remote Housing Class Action (Aboriginal Communities) Class action on behalf of Aboriginal people in 73 remote Northern Territory communities for inadequate public housing between August 2007 and December 2022, brought against the Northern Territory government in partnership with Redgum Legal & Consulting and supported by CASL litigation funding.
• Class Action Settlement Administration Court-appointed administration of approved class action settlements, including registration of group members, distribution of settlement funds, and acting as scheme administrator for consolidated proceedings (e.g., BHP Class Action jointly administered with Maurice Blackburn).
• Genea 2025 Data Breach Representative Complaint Representative complaint lodged with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner regarding the Genea 2025 data breach, on behalf of affected individuals.
• Consumer/Digital Fairness Class Action (Google and Apple) Class action against Google and Apple regarding consumer rights and digital fairness in Australia, with Federal Court ruling in favour of the plaintiffs on 13 August 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved approximately $500 million in settlements for clients
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Maurice BlackburncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMaurice Blackburn is co-counsel with Phi Finney McDonald in the BHP Class Action (Consolidated Proceeding). Jointly administering the settlement as Scheme Administrator alongside PFM.
• William Roberts LawyerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWilliam Roberts Lawyers are joint lawyers on the consolidated Mesoblast Class Action and serve as administrator of the settlement fund after court approval.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & SullivancoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerQuinn Emanuel jointly acts with Phi Finney McDonald in the Medibank Shareholder Class Action, providing additional legal capacity for the large-scale matter.
• Shine LawyerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerShine Lawyers and Phi Finney McDonald jointly conduct the consolidated Nuix Class Action under an agency arrangement, with Shine as solicitors on record.
• Inner Melbourne Community Legal / Police Accountability ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInner Melbourne Community Legal's Police Accountability Project partnered with Phi Finney McDonald to launch the IMARC Class Action against Victoria Police in 2022, examining police powers and protest rights.
• Redgum Legal & ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRedgum Legal & Consulting, led by solicitor Daniel Kelly, partnered with Phi Finney McDonald to launch the NT Remote Housing Class Action in December 2022 on behalf of 73 remote Aboriginal communities.
• Urgenda FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Urgenda Foundation, which successfully brought the landmark Urgenda v Netherlands climate case in 2015, partnered with Phi Finney McDonald to develop the Australian Climate Class Action on behalf of Torres Strait Islanders.
• Justice Connect's Nauru NetworkstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhi Finney McDonald participates in Justice Connect's Nauru Network, providing pro bono asylum seeker legal services to people who might otherwise be denied access to the legal system.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shine Lawyers: Large Australian plaintiff firm with a substantial class actions practice. Directly comparable in customer base (shareholder and employment class members) and fee model. PFM and Shine Lawyers jointly conduct the Nuix class action under an agency arrangement.
• Leigh Day: Leading UK plaintiff law firm specializing in human rights, environmental, product liability and group claims. Closely comparable to PFM's UK strategy following the 2020 London launch and the firm's human rights/climate practice.
• Maurice Blackburn: Australia's most prominent plaintiff class action firm. Directly comparable to PFM as it runs shareholder, employment and human rights class actions on a contingency fee basis with litigation funder partnerships. PFM and Maurice Blackburn are co-counsel in the BHP class action.
• Hodge Jones & Allen: UK plaintiff law firm with group actions, human rights and environmental litigation practice. Comparable as a UK-headquartered counterpart pursuing similar case types (human rights, environmental) that PFM targets in its London office.
• William Roberts Lawyers: Australian plaintiff litigation firm that serves as joint counsel and settlement fund administrator alongside PFM on the Mesoblast class action. Directly comparable in case type, fee model and customer segment.
• Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check: US shareholder litigation firm co-backing the BHP class action alongside PFM via G&E KTMC Funding. Directly comparable in securities class action practice and contingency fee model.
• Grant & Eisenhofer: US shareholder and securities litigation firm also backing the BHP matter through G&E KTMC Funding. Comparable in securities class actions and complex plaintiff litigation strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Slater and Gordon: Largest Australian plaintiff firm and the firm where all three PFM founders previously worked. Overlaps directly in shareholder, employment and personal injury class actions but operates as a much broader listed entity with diversified legal services.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: Global litigation-only law firm acting as joint counsel with PFM on the Medibank shareholder class action. Comparable in complex commercial and shareholder litigation practice but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple jurisdictions.

Emerging players

• Pogust Goodhead: UK-headquartered class action firm focused on mass tort and consumer group claims. Comparable in the UK collective redress market that PFM entered in 2020, though with a different case mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Phi Finney McDonald