Goldfarb Gross Seligman & Co.

FOUNDING PARTNER

Founding Partner

Prof. Joseph Gross is considered to be one of Israel’s leading lawyers in the fields of Companies Law, Securities Law, capital markets, Taxation and Tax Planning. Prof. Gross acts as a consultant to numerous leading Israeli companies in all matters relating to their investment activities and securities matters both locally and overseas. Likewise, he handles numerous large Israeli firms in their endeavours to raise capital on the U.S. capital markets and represents many firms in merger and acquisition transactions. He is active in the privatization of major Israeli companies and has acted on behalf of the Israeli government in all matters relating to the “floating shares” of the two leading banks in Israel: Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi.

In addition to his practice of law, Professor Gross serves as a professor of Law at the faculties of Law and The Business School of Tel-Aviv University (emeritus), and is lecturing at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and in the Faculty of Economics at Bar Ilan University. Prof. Gross served as vice-dean of the Faculty of Law of Tel-Aviv University. He is the Chairman of the Tax Club and the Capital Market Club and the School of Directors of Tel Aviv University.

Prior to establishing his own firm in 1979, Prof. Gross was the legal counsel of Discount Investment Bank from 1964-1979. From 1975 to 1978 he served as chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Israel branch of the International Fiscal Association.

For 15 years he served as a member and later as Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Government on Government Companies. Professor Gross has served on several government appointed committees including, as an active member in the committee that redrafted the Israel Law of Corporations (headed by Prof. Barak, the President of the Supreme Court); chairman of the government committee that redrafted the Law of Mergers and Antitrust Law; and acted as a member of the Tax Reform Committee (the Rabinowitz Committee).

Prof. Gross is the Chairman of the Israeli Branch of TI – Transparency International; Member of the Board of Adam, Teva Vadin; Institute of Business Research in Tel Aviv University; Member of the Board of the dancing group Inbal and other public institutions.

Professor Gross served until recently as member of the Court of Appeals on monopolies; served as Chairman on the Board of Governors of Israel’s T.V. Channel Two, member of the Board of the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange, Chairman of Clal Gemel Ltd., of the Dead Sea Works, the Israel Electricity Corporation, Sano, Mehadrin, Pri Or and other large institutions.

In 2013, Prof. Gross established the Israeli Directors’ Union (IDU) in collaboration with Tel Aviv University and Bar Ilan University and serves as chairman of the union.

He has published extensively, including 12 books and over 200 various professional articles. Among his publications are a book on Directors and Officers (five editions), a book on the New Israeli Companies Law (five editions); a book on the Israeli Tax Reform (three editions) and a book on Israel Securities Law.

Professor Gross is recommended by “Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers” as a leader in his field and comments that “Prof. Joseph Gross is “an academically brilliant lawyer with tremendous knowledge.” The current firm chairman, he is a valued consultant for many clients, particularly in capital markets and securities law. He has served on the boards of many major institutions, including the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.”

In 2011, the Bar Association awarded him the “profession award”, in 2014, the Bar Association awarded him the honor of HONORIS CAUSA, and in 2018 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Israeli Public Companies Association.

Hebrew, English

Israel Bar, 1959

New York Bar, 1989

Tel Aviv University (LL.B., 1955; LL.M., 1958);

University of London, London School of Economics and Political Science (Ph.D., 1962).