Director

Odette is an experienced senior class actions specialist, who has worked on complex and high-profile matters in Australia and the United Kingdom.

She has broad class action, group litigation and multi-party litigation expertise, including shareholder class actions, financial advice and product claims, personal injuries, competition and consumer actions, environmental and natural disaster litigation, and debenture trustee class actions. She also has a wealth of general commercial litigation and pro bono experience.

Prior to co-founding Phi Finney McDonald, Odette was a Practice Group Leader in the London Group Litigation and Melbourne Class Actions departments of a large plaintiff law firm.

Odette’s focus at Phi Finney McDonald is on identifying cases, managing litigation projects, progressing the professional development of lawyers and support staff, and contributing to the creation of a dynamic and supportive workplace.

Accolades and Awards

  • 2024: Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers – Melbourne, Plaintiff Class Actions, esp. Shareholder
  • 2023, 2024, and 2025: Best Lawyers – Best Lawyers in Australia, Melbourne, Litigation
  • 2023: Doyles Guides – Leading Class Actions Lawyers, Australia
  • 2023: Legal 500 – (Recommended) Tier 3 and All Firms, Asia Pacific, Australia, Dispute Resolution: Class Actions
  • 2021: Lawyerly – Awarded Litigation Rising Star
  • 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022: Doyles Guides – Lawyer (Recommended), Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Victoria
  • 2005: APS Prize, Australian Psychological Society
  • 2005: RG Wilson Scholarship, University of Melbourne
  • 2005: Dwight Final Assessment Prize, University of Melbourne

Legal Publications

  • Odette McDonald and Roop Sandhu, ‘Adverse costs: insurance as security for costs in class actions’ (2018) 31(4) Commercial Law Quarterly, 9
  • Odette McDonald and Eliot Olivier, ‘Recent developments in common fund applications: Pearson v State of Queensland Blairgowrie v Allco Finance Group (No 3)’ (2018) 31(4) Commercial Law Quarterly, 37
  • Ben Phi and Odette Phi, ‘Arming the courts in collective redress – a move to “Australian-style” class actions in the UK?’ (2017), Civil Justice Quarterly197, Oxford University.
  • Odette McDonald, ‘Corporate trustee duties under the Corporations Act – the Fincorp Class Action’ (2011) 14(2) REP

Education

  • BA (Psych) (Hons), LLB, University of Melbourne (first place in Honours program)
  • GradDip Legal Studies, University of Melbourne