MacDonnells Law
MacDonnells Law is a Queensland-headquartered, partnership-structured commercial law firm founded in 1884, serving private businesses, government entities, and not-for-profits across eight practice areas spanning corporate/M&A, property, planning, WHS, employment, litigation, construction and government services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1884
- HeadquartersBrisbane, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MacDonnells Law does
MacDonnells Law is a Queensland-headquartered, partnership-structured commercial law firm founded in 1884 and operating for more than 140 years. It delivers legal services through eight interconnected practice areas: Commercial, Corporate and M&A; Property; Planning and Environment; Regulatory and Safety (WHS); Employment; Risk, Dispute Resolution and Litigation; Construction and Infrastructure; and Government Services. The firm is built on human legal expertise rather than any proprietary technology platform; it does not disclose AI tools, a software product, an API, or any tech stack.
The firm serves private-sector businesses (from large unlisted companies to high-growth entrepreneurs), government entities at local, state and federal level, and not-for-profit organisations. Customer concentration is diversified across practice areas but skewed toward episodic, high-value government, port, infrastructure and property-development mandates (e.g., a $120M port shipping development, a record $3.6M Dreamworld WHS fine, a $500M SaaS sale, a $200M ASX merger). Geographic reach is anchored in Brisbane and Cairns with a stated Australia-wide service capability.
Revenue is generated exclusively through professional legal fees, billed on a quote/negotiated basis per matter; no standardised pricing, subscriptions or alternative-fee arrangements are published. Go-to-market is relationship-driven, supported by a thought-leadership content engine (legal insights, news articles, LinkedIn) and a brand moat built on long tenure and a bench of ex-prosecutors in the WHS practice (Aaron Guilfoyle and Aimee Sanderson, both joined 2022). The firm is privately held, with no disclosed parent, subsidiary, M&A, or funding activity.
MacDonnells Law firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MacDonnells Law
- Legal name
- MacDonnells Law
- Website
- https://macdonnells.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1884
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- MacDonnells Law is a Queensland-headquartered, partnership-structured commercial law firm founded in 1884, serving private businesses, government entities, and not-for-profits across eight practice areas spanning corporate/M&A, property, planning, WHS, employment, litigation, construction and government services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MacDonnells Law industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)
Keywords
Where MacDonnells Law is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brisbane
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
MacDonnells Law business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Legal Services - Professional Fees: MacDonnells Law generates revenue through professional legal services fees. As a commercial law firm serving private, public and not-for-profit sectors, they bill for legal advice and representation across their practice areas including corporate/M&A, property, planning, employment, WHS regulatory, litigation, construction, and government services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
MacDonnells Law product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MacDonnells Law is a Queensland commercial law firm providing professional legal advisory and representation services across eight interconnected practice areas: Commercial/Corporate & M&A, Property, Planning & Environment, WHS Regulatory & Safety, Employment, Risk/Dispute Resolution/Litigation, Construction & Infrastructure, and Government Services. The firm serves private enterprises, government entities, and not-for-profit organisations with partner-led, tailored advice covering transactions, regulatory compliance, litigation, and strategic advisory work.
Product overview
MacDonnells Law is a full-service commercial law firm providing legal services across eight interconnected practice areas. The firm operates as a unified service portfolio rather than discrete products, with expertise spanning Commercial/Corporate M&A, Property, Planning & Environment, Regulatory & Safety (WHS), Employment, Risk/Dispute Resolution/Litigation, Construction & Infrastructure, and Government Services. These practice areas are integrated to provide holistic legal solutions, with teams collaborating across disciplines—for example, the property team works with planning/environment and commercial teams, and the dispute resolution team partners with the commercial team for front-end risk mitigation. The firm serves private sector businesses, government entities, and not-for-profit organizations across Queensland and nationally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial, Corporate and M&A Services Corporate and commercial legal advisory covering mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial contracts, capital raising, regulatory compliance, and commercial negotiations across the complete business lifecycle for private companies, large unlisted companies, and entrepreneurs.
- Property Services Property law advisory covering master-planned communities, sales and acquisitions, due diligence, project development structuring, joint ventures, project financing, property trusts, and leasing portfolio management.
- Planning and Environment Services Planning and environment legal advisory including strategic project advisory, Planning & Environment Court appeals, development approvals, environmental approvals, infrastructure advisory, land acquisition, and planning scheme preparation.
- Regulatory and Safety (WHS) Services Work health and safety legal services including incident response, regulatory investigation management, board-level WHS advice, litigation defence of prosecutions, coronial inquest representation, and incident response framework development. Led by former Queensland WHS Prosecutor Aaron Guilfoyle.
- Employment Services Employment law advisory covering award interpretation, enterprise agreements, employment contracts, workplace investigations, performance management, dismissals, restructures, redundancies, and employment claims.
- Risk, Dispute Resolution and Litigation Services Commercial dispute resolution and litigation services including risk analysis, dispute negotiation and mediation, litigation, urgent court relief, and large-scale commercial litigation management.
- Construction and Infrastructure Services Construction and infrastructure legal advisory covering strategic project advice, project structuring, building contract drafting, tendering processes, court dispute resolution, adjudication, and QBCC decision reviews.
- Government Services Public sector legal advisory covering regulatory advice, governance, legislative compliance reviews, stakeholder engagement, project support, statutory powers advisory, and compliance training for government entities.
Quantifiable outcome
- $500 million deal - worldwide payment systems SaaS sale
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use MacDonnells Law
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MacDonnells Law technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
MacDonnells Law partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MacDonnells Law competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
Broad incumbents
- King & Wood Mallesons: Asia-Pacific-headquartered global law firm with strong Australian corporate, infrastructure, and regulatory practices. Competes for high-value M&A, projects, and government advisory mandates that MacDonnells also pursues at the larger end.
- Clayton Utz: One of Australia's largest full-service commercial law firms with a strong Brisbane office competing for the same Queensland corporate, government, and infrastructure mandates that MacDonnells targets. Significantly larger scale and national reach.
- Lander & Rogers: Australian full-service commercial law firm with national offices and a Brisbane presence. Comparable practice mix across corporate, property, government, and litigation, competing for similar Queensland-based clients.
- Ashurst Australia: Global law firm with a significant Australian practice spanning corporate, projects, regulatory, and litigation. Competes for the upper end of the same Queensland and national mandates.
- Corrs Chambers Westgarth: Australian national full-service commercial law firm with strong corporate, infrastructure, and government practices. Competes with MacDonnells for mid-to-large Queensland corporate and government mandates.
Direct peers
- HopgoodGanim Lawyers: Brisbane-based full-service commercial law firm with comparable practice areas including corporate/M&A, property, planning & environment, resources, and government. Direct regional competitor for Queensland clients and talent.
- Carter Newell Lawyers: Brisbane-based commercial law firm serving private and public sector clients with similar practice mix including corporate, property, planning & environment, employment, and litigation. Comparable scale and Queensland focus.
- McCullough Robertson: Independent Queensland-headquartered full-service commercial law firm with offices in Brisbane and elsewhere. Most directly comparable peer given shared Queensland heritage, similar full-service commercial practice (corporate, property, litigation, government), and similar firm profile.
Regional players
- Barry Nilsson: Australian national insurance and commercial law firm with a strong Queensland presence. Comparable in size and regional focus, particularly in litigation, WHS, and government-facing work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MacDonnells Law social profiles
Digital presenceMacDonnells Law financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MacDonnells Law leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
MacDonnells Law funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MacDonnells Law M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MacDonnells Law
What does MacDonnells Law do?
MacDonnells Law is a Queensland commercial law firm providing professional legal advisory and representation services across eight interconnected practice areas: Commercial/Corporate & M&A, Property, Planning & Environment, WHS Regulatory & Safety, Employment, Risk/Dispute Resolution/Litigation, Construction & Infrastructure, and Government Services. The firm serves private enterprises, government entities, and not-for-profit organisations with partner-led, tailored advice covering transactions, regulatory compliance, litigation, and strategic advisory work.
Is MacDonnells Law a public or private company?
MacDonnells Law is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was MacDonnells Law founded?
MacDonnells Law was founded in 1884. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is MacDonnells Law based?
MacDonnells Law is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does MacDonnells Law make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services - Professional Fees.
Who are MacDonnells Law's main competitors?
Allens is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are King & Wood Mallesons, Clayton Utz, Lander & Rogers, Ashurst Australia and Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Direct peers are HopgoodGanim Lawyers, Carter Newell Lawyers and McCullough Robertson. Barry Nilsson is listed as a regional player.
Does MacDonnells Law have an API?
No public API is recorded for MacDonnells Law.
What industry is MacDonnells Law in?
MacDonnells Law's product category is Commercial Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAA, Corporate & Commercial Law, with a secondary code of BPAHAAAI, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law. Its NAICS code is 541110 and its SIC code is 8111.