Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP

What Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP does

Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP (operating as SOM Law) is a Toronto-based boutique limited liability partnership specializing in management-side labour and employment law. Founded in 1999 by partners Daniel Shields, Julie O'Donnell, and Malcolm MacKillop, the firm serves Ontario employers (both non-unionized and unionized) ranging from small businesses to large corporations, as well as senior management and executive employees. The firm operates from a single Toronto headquarters and is recognized across major Canadian legal directories including Lexpert, Best Lawyers, and The Globe and Mail Best Law Firms 2025.

The firm's practice spans the full spectrum of workplace law, with 22 documented practice areas including arbitration, collective bargaining, wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights defence, occupational health and safety, pay equity, privacy, workplace investigations, and Canada Labour Code matters. Specialized niches include construction industry labour relations and federal-sector work. The firm charges for legal services predominantly on an hourly basis, with limited contingency arrangements (capped at 30%) available for senior executive plaintiffs. Revenue is generated through partner-led direct client engagement supported by directory recognition and thought-leadership (blog, industry commentary).

The firm employs approximately 8 partners, 1 Of Counsel (Philip Wolfenden, former VP HR at Magna International), and 7-8 associates, supported by administrative staff. With more than 100 years of collective litigation experience, the firm emphasizes proactive compliance advisory to reduce workplace litigation costs while maintaining high-stakes litigation capability when required.

Name

Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP

Legal name

Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP

Website

https://somlaw.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP is a Toronto-based boutique law firm specializing in management-side labour and employment law, serving Ontario employers and senior executives across litigation, arbitration, collective bargaining, and workplace compliance matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: As a management-side labour and employment law firm, Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP primarily charges clients on an hourly basis for legal services. The firm represents employers in all aspects of workplace law including litigation, arbitration, collective bargaining, and advisory services.
2. Contingency Fee Arrangements: In limited circumstances, the firm offers contingency percentage billing to plaintiffs in senior management and/or executive positions, whereby the client is only billed at the conclusion of the matter and only if successful in recovering money. Maximum contingency fee percentage is 30 percent, varying depending on the nature and complexity of each matter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP is a Toronto-based boutique management-side labour and employment law firm. It represents non-union and unionized employers, as well as senior management and executive employees, across workplace law matters including litigation, arbitration, collective bargaining, human rights defence, compliance audits, workplace investigations, and executive contract and severance negotiations. The firm charges primarily hourly fees and offers contingency arrangements (max 30%) in limited executive-plaintiff matters.

Product overview

Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP is a boutique management-side labour and employment law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services. The firm's practice areas span the full spectrum of workplace law, including Arbitration, Canada Labour Code, Collective Bargaining, Compliance Audits, Construction Labour Relations, Contract and Policy Drafting, Employment Law, Employment Standards, Fiduciary Duties, Human Rights, Labour Relations, Occupational Health and Safety, Pay Equity, Privacy Law, Progressive Employee Relations, Sale of Business/Due Diligence, Senior Management Representation, Staff Training, Workers' Compensation, Workplace Investigations, and Wrongful Dismissal Litigation. The firm also offers contingency fee arrangements for senior executives and provides tailored staff training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arbitration Services Legal representation for employers before provincial labour arbitrators and the Ontario Labour Relations Board, covering grievance and interest arbitration proceedings across a wide range of industries in the private and public sector.
• Canada Labour Code Practice Legal advice and representation for federally-regulated employers under the Canada Labour Code, including adjudications and appeals to the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal.
• Collective Bargaining Legal counsel and direct representation for employers during collective bargaining negotiations with trade unions in Ontario.
• Compliance Audits Proactive audits to identify compliance gaps across statutes including the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Employment Standards Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, and Pay Equity Act.
• Construction Labour Relations Specialized legal services for employers in Ontario's construction industry, including certification applications, unfair labour practice complaints, jurisdictional disputes, and grievance arbitrations under the construction statutory regime.
• Contract and Policy Drafting Drafting and negotiation of employment contracts, termination clauses, bonuses, long-term incentive plans, restrictive covenants, and company policies for employers and senior executives.
• Employment Law Advisory and Litigation Legal representation and advice for employers on dismissal disputes, human rights claims, workplace injuries, employment standards, and enforcement of non-solicitation/non-competition clauses.
• Employment Standards Advisory Guidance on Employment Standards Act obligations and representation before Ministry of Labour Employment Standards Officers and at the Ontario Labour Relations Board on employment standards issues.
• Fiduciary Duties and Employee Obligations Enforcement of post-termination restrictive covenants and defence against breach of fiduciary duty claims.
• Human Rights Defence Advice, training, and defence services for discrimination and harassment complaints before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and Canadian Human Rights Commission.
• Labour Relations Legal representation for employers with unionized workplaces, including grievance arbitration, labour relations board proceedings, and collective agreement negotiation.
• Occupational Health and Safety Legal counsel on OHSA and Canada Labour Code obligations, including policy development and defence of charges.
• Pay Equity Development of Pay Equity Plans under Ontario and Federal legislation and representation before the Pay Equity Commission.
• Privacy Law Privacy compliance advice under statutory and common law obligations, including workplace policy drafting for employee privacy.
• Progressive Employee Relations Consulting Consulting on day-to-day employee relations, including comprehensive employee surveys and productivity optimization.
• Sale of Business and Due Diligence Legal counsel on labour and employment implications of business transactions, including vendor and purchaser representation.
• Senior Management and Executive Representation Negotiation of employment contracts and severance packages for senior managers and executives, including litigation for fair compensation, with contingency fee arrangements available in limited circumstances.
• Staff Training Interactive training programs on progressive discipline, hiring, termination, workplace investigations, and harassment prevention.
• Workers' Compensation Representation before the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and Appeals Tribunal on claims, appeals, and classification issues.
• Workplace Investigations Investigation services for harassment, discrimination, and other workplace issues, including tailored advice and investigation reports.
• Wrongful Dismissal Litigation Civil litigation defence for employers against wrongful dismissal claims, from simple notice claims to complex discrimination and tortious conduct cases.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LIFE (Lawyers' International Food Enterprise)minorOthersSOM LLP is a proud supporter of LIFE, an organization of lawyers raising awareness about child poverty and providing financial support to charitable organizations. The firm hosts LIFE's annual Rock for Life fundraiser supporting the Stephen Lewis Foundation and World Vision.
• Stephen Lewis FoundationminorOthersBeneficiary of Rock for Life fundraiser hosted annually by SOM LLP. The foundation supports community-level organizations working to turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
• World VisionminorOthersBeneficiary of Rock for Life fundraiser. Malcolm MacKillop founded Rock for Life which has raised close to $1 million in support of World Vision.
• Heart & Stroke FoundationminorOthersSOM LLP participates annually in the Ride for Heart event as a corporate team, raising money for heart and stroke research and treatments in Canada.
• Law Society Foundation - Lawyers Feed the HungryminorOthersActive supporter of Lawyers Feed the Hungry program that fights hunger year-round in Toronto and Ontario by providing meals and financial support to hunger relief organizations.
• Bikes4KidsminorOthersMalcolm MacKillop is a donor to this charitable initiative that purchases and refurbishes bicycles to donate to children in need in the Greater Toronto Area.
• Merit Bursary Award ProgramminorOthersSOM LLP is a proud donor to this program that has awarded 2,021 bursaries to Toronto students since 1996, providing incentives for students to stay in school and pursue post-secondary education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Littler Mendelson PC: The world's largest labour and employment law firm, now with Canadian offices. A broad incumbent offering overlapping management-side services with far greater scale, technology investment, and cross-border capability than SOM.
• Jackson Lewis P.C. Major US-based management-side labour and employment firm with Canadian offices. Direct overlap on exclusive employer-side focus but at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth than SOM.
• Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP: Global law firm with a strong Canadian employment and labour practice. Overlaps with SOM on management-side mandates, particularly in federally-regulated industries (banking, telecom) which are SOM's stated strengths.
• McCarthy Tétrault LLP: One of Canada's largest national law firms with a substantial employment and labour relations practice. Competes with SOM for management-side mandates but as part of a much broader full-service portfolio.
• Stikeman Elliott LLP: Premier Canadian national law firm with a well-regarded employment law group. Competes for senior executive and management-side mandates at the high end of the Toronto market where SOM also operates.
• Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC: Major US management-side labour and employment law firm with an expanding Canadian footprint. Comparable in exclusive employer-side focus but operates at much greater scale across multiple jurisdictions.

Direct peers

• Mathews Dinsdale & Clark LLP: Canada's largest dedicated labour and employment law firm, with offices nationwide. Closest direct competitor in practice model (employer-side L&E) and service mix, but with significantly greater scale and geographic reach than SOM.
• Cavalluzzo LLP: Toronto-based law firm with a strong labour relations practice serving both union and management clients. Comparable practice overlap in Ontario Labour Relations Board work, arbitration, and construction industry matters.
• Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP: Toronto-based boutique management-side labour and employment law firm. Directly comparable to SOM in size, geography, exclusive employer-side focus, and core practice areas including wrongful dismissal, labour relations, and human rights.
• Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP: Toronto litigation boutique with a strong employment law practice. Comparable in boutique scale and partner-led model, often retained on complex employment litigation that could otherwise go to SOM or its peers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP