Connolly Obagi LLP

What Connolly Obagi LLP does

Connolly Obagi LLP is a plaintiff-side personal injury law firm based in Ottawa, Ontario, established in 2008 by Thomas P. Connolly and Joseph Y. Obagi as the successor to the Cooligan Ryan practice, which itself traces a litigation lineage of more than 140 years. The firm exclusively represents injured individuals and their families, and explicitly does not act for insurance companies, handling motor vehicle accident claims, medical negligence, slip and fall, disability and long-term disability disputes, product liability, and class actions. Service is delivered on a contingency fee basis with free initial consultations, and the firm offers bilingual (English/French) capability plus select Arabic-language support, with certain lawyers also admitted to the Quebec Bar.

The practice is organized around a small bench of experienced trial litigators — every lawyer is reported to have begun as a law student or junior at the firm — supported by paralegals and an active law student program. Its work is anchored by senior counsel with deep ties to the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (Tom Connolly as Past President, Joseph Obagi as a Director) and by marquee courtroom outcomes, including a $3.7 million jury verdict in Aubin v. Soloway Jewish Community Centre and certified class counsel roles in Armour v. Industrial Alliance and Belec v. Sun Life. The firm supplements its own caseload through formal referral relationships with multiple Ottawa Valley law firms that do not practice personal injury, effectively acting as an outsourced plaintiff PI department for a regional general-practice network.

Revenue is generated entirely through contingency fees, retainers on class action matters, and the occasional court-ordered cost award; there is no published fee schedule, no alternative billing model, and no publicly disclosed financial data. The business model is therefore high-variance at the case level but stabilized at the firm level through the steady inflow of individual PI matters sourced from referrals, repeat referrers, and direct intake. External recognition through LEXPERT (2019–2026) and Best Lawyers (2015–2026) is used as a primary marketing channel, reinforced by OTLA award wins in 2023 and 2024 and ongoing firm-of-the-year listings.

Name

Connolly Obagi LLP

Legal name

Connolly Obagi LLP

Website

https://connollyobagi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plaintiff-side personal injury law firm in Ottawa, Ontario, exclusively representing injured individuals and families in motor vehicle, medical negligence, slip and fall, disability, and class action matters on a contingency fee basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Injury Law

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Personal injury litigation
• Medical negligence law
• Long-term disability claims
• Auto insurance disputes
• Tort litigation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa, Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contingency Fee Legal Services: The firm operates on a contingency fee basis whereby fees are paid only in the event of a successful outcome and calculated as a percentage of the settlement or award. The percentage amount is dependent on several factors including complexity, risk, and resources required to secure a successful outcome. This model aligns the firm's interests with clients who often lack financial resources to pursue justice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Connolly Obagi LLP is an Ottawa-based plaintiff personal injury law firm that exclusively represents injured individuals and families in claims arising from motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, medical negligence, long-term disability disputes, wrongful death, and class actions against disability insurers. Services are delivered under contingency fee arrangements after a free initial consultation, with representation across Ontario and for Quebec residents injured in Ontario. The firm has six named practice areas—Auto Insurance, Personal Injury, Medical Negligence, Tort Litigation, Holiday Travel, and Long Term Disability—plus ancillary offerings for class actions, French/Arabic-speaking clients, and Quebec-resident plaintiffs.

Product overview

Connolly Obagi LLP is a personal injury law firm in Ottawa, Ontario, operating as a single unified legal practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The firm offers core legal services including Auto Insurance Legal Services, Personal Injury Legal Services, Medical Negligence Legal Services, Tort Litigation Services, Holiday Travel Legal Services, Long Term Disability Legal Services, and Class Action Representation. Additional services include Quebec Residents Legal Services (for Quebec residents injured in Ontario), French and Arabic Language Legal Services, and a Law Student Program. All lawyers focus exclusively on Plaintiff personal injury law, representing injured individuals and families against insurance companies, never for the defense. The firm offers free initial consultations and contingency-based fee arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auto Insurance Legal Services Legal representation for individuals injured in car accidents, including Accident Benefits applications and disputes under Ontario's Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (S.A.B.S.). For accident victims in Ontario.
• Personal Injury Legal Services Comprehensive legal services for injured individuals and families pursuing claims arising from car accidents, wrongful death, slip and falls, unsafe products, dog bites, boating/ATV/snowmobile accidents, swimming pool accidents, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
• Medical Negligence Legal Services Legal representation for patients injured due to failure of health professionals to meet applicable standards of care during medical treatment, including surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and hospital negligence.
• Tort Litigation Services Resolution of complex tort litigation cases involving personal injury claims, wrongful death, and other civil disputes, with emphasis on individual worth and human dimensions.
• Holiday Travel Legal Services Legal services for foreign travelers injured while visiting Canada and Canadians injured abroad, including cross-border insurance coverage and international jurisdiction claims.
• Long Term Disability Legal Services Legal assistance for clients whose long term disability claims were denied or benefits terminated, including appeals and guidance through policy definition changes.
• Class Action Representation Representation of individuals in certified class actions, including the Belec case against Sun Life (certified June 13, 2022) and the Armour case against Industrial Alliance (certified March 9, 2020) regarding improperly calculated long-term disability cost-of-living indexation for federal government employees.
• Quebec Residents Legal Services Legal services for Quebec residents injured in Ontario, including claims for no-fault benefits and damages for pain and suffering pursued in Ontario courts, with coordination of Quebec SAAQ benefits.
• French and Arabic Language Legal Services Personal injury legal services provided in French and Arabic languages for clients who prefer to conduct proceedings in these languages.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.7 million jury verdict in Aubin v. Soloway Jewish Community Centre - largest personal injury jury award in East Region

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ottawa Valley Law FirmsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partnerships with law firms throughout the Ottawa Valley for complex personal injury case referrals. Firm offers generous referral fees and provides regular status updates to referring lawyers at their preferred frequency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lerners LLP: Full-service Ontario law firm with a substantial plaintiff personal injury practice alongside broader corporate/healthcare work — a broader incumbent that overlaps the firm's core practice while offering additional service lines.

Direct peers

• Neinstein LLP: Toronto-based plaintiff personal injury firm with a contingency-fee model and multi-practice injury/disability offering. Comparable in target client (injured plaintiffs), free-consultation GTM, and reliance on referrals.
• Thomson Rogers: Long-standing Ontario plaintiff personal injury and insurance dispute firm with a similar contingency-fee model and parallel mix of motor vehicle, LTD, and catastrophic injury work. The most direct competitor in the Ontario plaintiff bar on case mix and client profile.
• Smitiuch Force Injury Lawyers: Ontario plaintiff personal injury firm with a contingency-fee model, free consultation GTM, and focus on motor vehicle collisions, slip and falls, and LTD disputes — a near-direct functional peer.
• Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP: Ontario/GTA-based personal injury and disability law firm operating on contingency, with overlap in LTD disputes, motor vehicle claims, and catastrophic injury work.
• Bogoroch & Associates LLP: Toronto plaintiff personal injury firm handling motor vehicle, medical malpractice, and LTD disputes on contingency. Closely comparable on practice areas and contingency-fee structure.
• Oatley Vigmond: Ontario plaintiff personal injury firm focused on serious injury, disability claims, and insurance disputes with a contingency-fee model — directly comparable case mix and bar profile.
• Diamond & Diamond Lawyers: Ontario-wide plaintiff personal injury firm operating on contingency fees with heavy advertising and referral-driven acquisition — a close functional peer on business model and case mix.
• Singer Kwinter: Toronto-based plaintiff personal injury and insurance dispute firm handling motor vehicle, LTD, and catastrophic injury claims on contingency — comparable on case mix and plaintiff-side bar identity.
• Wolfson Law Firm: Ontario plaintiff personal injury firm with a similar contingency-fee model and practice focus on motor vehicle, slip-and-fall, and disability claims.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connolly-obagi-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Connolly Obagi LLP