donnelly law

What donnelly law does

Donnelly Law LLC is a private boutique law firm founded in 2003 and headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, serving small and mid-sized businesses and individuals across the greater Chicago metropolitan area, including DuPage, Will, Kane, and Cook counties. The firm is led by founding attorney Craig E. Donnelly, who brings over 20 years of experience spanning both transactional business law and litigation, an unusually blended background for a solo practice. Its service portfolio centers on five practice areas: business and commercial law (formation, M&A, shareholder disputes, corporate governance), contract review and drafting, employment agreements and restrictive covenants, business and commercial litigation (breach of contract, trade secrets, tortious interference), and personal injury representation for auto and premises liability claims. A monthly flat-fee Outside General Counsel offering has been layered on top of traditional hourly billing to provide recurring revenue and embedded advisory relationships with SMB clients, complemented by flat-fee startup formation packages starting at $1,000.

The firm operates a sales-led, community-reinforced go-to-market built on attorney-to-attorney referrals generated through active membership in the Illinois State Bar Association, DuPage County Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and The Chicago Bar Association, combined with a content marketing program comprising 27+ educational videos, a blog, and a monthly newsletter. Customer acquisition is direct via telephone and a website contact form, with a free initial consultation serving as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism. The firm's underlying technology stack is modest: standard legal practice management software including the MyCase client portal for secure document and case access, with no proprietary platforms, AI capabilities, or technology products disclosed. Documented case outcomes include a roughly $250,000 auto accident recovery against an initial $8,000 insurer offer, a federal defense verdict limiting a $500,000+ plaintiff demand to a $2,000 judgment, and the resolution of multi-million dollar judgment exposures for SMB clients, establishing a track record of favorable results in both transactional advisory and litigation matters.

Name

donnelly law

Legal name

Donnelly Law LLC

Website

https://donnellylawllc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Donnelly Law LLC is a solo boutique law firm in Oak Brook, IL, founded in 2003, providing business, commercial litigation, contract, employment, and personal injury legal services to small and mid-sized businesses and individuals across the greater Chicago area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Brook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly fee billing for litigation and transactional legal services. The firm handles a wide array of matters including business and commercial litigation, contract review and drafting, employment agreements, personal injury claims, and business formation.
2. Outside General Counsel - Monthly Flat Fee: The firm serves as outside general counsel for small to mid-sized businesses on a monthly flat fee arrangement. This recurring revenue model provides clients with ongoing access to legal counsel for contract review, business decisions, and general corporate matters without per-call billing.
3. Legal Services - Flat Fee for Startups: Flat fee billing for startup legal services including entity formation, drafting foundational documents, and initial business setup matters. Fees typically range from $1,000 and up plus filing fees depending on complexity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Donnelly Law LLC is a full-service law firm providing legal representation to small and mid-sized businesses and individuals across five core practice areas: business and commercial law, contract review and drafting, employment agreements, business and commercial litigation, and personal injury claims. The firm also acts as outside general counsel for businesses on a monthly flat fee basis, providing ongoing corporate legal support.

Product overview

Donnelly Law LLC is a full-service law firm offering legal services primarily for small and mid-sized businesses and individuals in the Chicago area. The firm's service portfolio centers on five core practice areas: Business and Commercial Law, Contract Review and Drafting, Employment Agreements, Business and Commercial Litigation, and Personal Injury. These services are complemented by General Counsel Services offered on a flat-fee monthly basis. The firm, led by attorney Craig E. Donnelly with over 20 years of experience, serves clients in Oak Brook, Illinois, and throughout the greater Chicago area including DuPage, Will, Kane, and Cook counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business and Commercial Law Comprehensive legal services for small and mid-sized businesses covering corporate structure decisions, articles of organization, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder disputes, restrictive covenants, drafting and reviewing contracts and leases, vendor issues, employment agreements and policies, operational documents, and general corporate matters.
• Contract Review and Drafting Legal services for drafting, reviewing, and negotiating business contracts, vendor agreements, leases, and operational documents to ensure clarity and protection from liability for small and mid-sized businesses.
• Employment Agreements Legal services for creating, reviewing, and negotiating employment contracts, including non-compete clauses, severance terms, and commission structures for both employees and employers.
• Business and Commercial Litigation Litigation services for business disputes including breach of contract, restrictive covenant disputes, trade secret litigation, shareholder disputes, tortious interference claims, and other commercial litigation matters.
• Personal Injury Legal representation for individuals seeking compensation for injuries caused by negligent parties, including auto accidents, slip and fall cases, and premise liability claims.
• Outside General Counsel Services Ongoing legal counsel provided at a monthly flat fee, offering consistent support for business needs including contract review, regulatory compliance, and strategic guidance as companies grow.
• Startup Legal Services Flat fee legal services for startups including business entity formation, drafting foundational documents, articles of organization, and initial business setup matters. Fees vary based on factors such as single-owner versus multi-owner structures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovered close to $250,000 for a client whose insurance company initially offered $8,000 for an auto accident claim (client was seeking $20,000 for medical bills and pain and suffering).
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Broad incumbents

• SmithAmundsen LLC: Regional Illinois-based business and commercial law firm with significantly greater headcount and practice breadth. Comparable because it serves the same Chicago-area SMB and mid-market clients across business law, employment, and litigation practice areas where Donnelly Law competes.
• Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC: Chicago-based business law firm serving middle-market companies, entrepreneurs, and high-net-worth individuals. Comparable in serving Chicago SMB clients on transactional, employment, and commercial litigation matters, but with a larger partner structure and broader practice group footprint.
• Freeborn & Peters LLP: Established Chicago-headquartered law firm with corporate, litigation, employment, and M&A practices. Comparable because it targets similar mid-market and SMB clients in the greater Chicago market with overlapping business-law service offerings.
• Akerman LLP: National law firm with a significant Chicago office serving middle-market and SMB clients across corporate, employment, real estate, and litigation. Comparable practice area overlap and Chicago market presence, though substantially larger in scale.

Emerging players

• FisherBroyles, LLP: Tech-enabled, partner-only law firm model offering fractional and outside general counsel services nationally. Comparable to Donnelly Law's recurring GC subscription offering, but with a distributed attorney model and broader geographic reach serving SMB clients.
• LegalZoom: Online legal services platform providing affordable business formation, contract templates, and basic legal documents. Comparable because it competes for the same startup and SMB clients on entity formation and basic contract work that Donnelly Law also serves via its flat-fee startup service.
• Rocket Lawyer: Online legal technology platform offering business formation, legal documents, and on-demand attorney consultations. Comparable as a technology-enabled alternative targeting the same SMB and entrepreneur segment for entry-level legal needs.
• NexLaw.ai: AI-enabled legal services platform targeting law firms and SMBs with document automation and practice management tools. Comparable as an emerging alternative targeting the same client base with lower-cost or technology-augmented legal delivery models.

Others

• Avvo: Online legal directory and attorney matching service. Comparable as a channel that competes for SMB and consumer legal services demand via paid-lead generation, directly affecting Donnelly Law's referral-driven acquisition model.
• Clio: Leading cloud-based legal practice management software used by thousands of small and mid-sized law firms. Comparable as the dominant alternative to MyCase (which Donnelly Law currently uses) for the same small-firm operating model and client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donnellylawllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 donnelly law