Meitar Law Offices

Meitar | Law Offices is Israel’s leading law firm with a reputation for excellence in domestic and international matters. The firm represents some of the world’s largest multinational corporations in corporate, commercial, and litigation matters, in Israel and abroad.

Meitar is a full-service firm, representing clients in corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial Litigation, international and domestic capital markets, banking and finance, licensing, hi-tech and VC’s, energy and infrastructure, real estate, planning and construction, taxation, labor law, IP and Technology, and other regulatory matters. The firm has represented clients in Israel’s largest M&A transactions and international public offerings, and has represented some of the world’s leading companies in corporate and class-action litigation. Meitar consistently receives the highest rankings from independent international guides, such as Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 as well as local ranking guides.

Meitar is unique among Israel’s largest law firms in the number of partners who have worked for major international law firms in the US and elsewhere. The firm has a strong team of over 410 attorneys and 60 articled clerks all of whom are committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence and service.

Through all stages of its clients’ growth, from seed financing, through private placements and public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and beyond, the firm brings distinct added value to its clients to help them achieve their strategic goals. The firm regularly assists non-Israeli clients in understanding the local business culture and landscape, including its local players, as well as regulatory processes and the Israeli judiciary. As a full-service law firm serving the global economy, the firm’s practice areas reflect the professional depth and breadth that is essential to serve the firm’s clients. Meitar’s goal is to provide clients with integrated legal services, drawing on individual areas of expertise where needed.

Areas of practice (partial list)
Corporate and securities: A major part of the firm’s work consists of public offerings; M&A; private placements; venture capital investments; equity and debt offerings in Israel and abroad; banking and derivatives and securitizations. The firm also specializes in corporate restructuring, including splits, spin-offs, share buy-backs, joint ventures and management buy-outs. The firm acts regularly in corporate, partnership and joint venture formation, establishment and implementation of stock option and compensation plans, and financing transactions.

Litigation: Meitar has Israel’s largest group with over 100 attorneys. The department handles a wide range of commercial, securities, corporate (control, governance, minority rights, insolvency, reorganization), anti-trust, banking, insurance, product liability, administrative, labor, white-collar and intellectual property litigation. The department is unique in Israel due to the large number of attorneys who were educated and trained in the US and England, and therefore have expertise in representing international clients in their litigation matters, as well as Israeli clients involved in international arbitrations. The firm has extensive expertise in handling complex cases, high-profile matters and cross-border disputes for local as well as international clients. Its attorneys regularly appear in all the Israeli courts, in local and international arbitration proceedings, specialized courts, administrative tribunals and regulatory bodies. The firm’s attorneys are also experienced in administrative law, including preparation of petitions to the High Court of Justice, public administrative law, commenting on new legislation, Knesset and government and regulatory matters, and representing and consulting with various entities in the Government and Knesset.

High-tech and startups: The firm’s dominant position in the field is reflected in its extensive involvement in exits and significant investment transactions in the Israeli high-tech market. Our firm represents a long list of leading high-tech companies in Israel and abroad in a variety of transactions, in all stages of the companies’ lifecycle, from establishment to exit (sale or IPO).

Taxation: Meitar’s tax department provides a full range of services with respect to client activities, both in Israel and abroad. The firm’s tax department focuses both on international and Israeli taxation issues in an overall tax-efficient manner taking into account client’s home country tax considerations as well as Israeli tax law. The firm provides tax advice and planning in a range of areas, including: international taxation; corporate tax planning; employee compensation plans; real estate; trusts and estates, and personal tax planning.

IP and technology: Meitar’s IP and technology group acts for clients in a variety of intellectual property and technology-related transactions, ranging from licenses, assignments and other agreements involving the development, commercialization and sale of intellectual property assets to strategic alliance and corporate partnering agreements. The firm is intensively involved in structuring and negotiating the international transactions of its clients, for example, OEM; licensing; distribution; VAR; joint development; outsourcing with expertise in complex software transactions. The firm handles all aspects of deals including: negotiations on commercial terms; drafting of agreements; setting up local entities; creating financial arrangements; ensuring protection of intellectual property rights and cooperating with local counsel worldwide.

Regulatory and antitrust: Meitar attorneys are frequently called upon to advise clients on the various regulatory environments in Israel. Regulatory issues may arise in the course of M&A or investment transactions, financing transactions for regulated companies, energy transactions and other commercial transactions.

The firm regularly advises clients on matters relating to compliance with antitrust and competition law, including with respect to monopolies, restraints of trade and mergers and acquisitions. The firm works with some of the world’s largest international law firms on the Israeli antitrust filings for major multinational merger transactions, and on assessing transactions under the laws of other jurisdictions. The firm regularly represent clients before a wide variety of Israeli Government agencies, including the Bank of Israel, the Antitrust Authority, the Israel Tax Authority, the Ministry of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor (including the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Investment Center), the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of National Infrastructures, the Israel Securities Authority, the Government Companies Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Government Export Institute and the Commissioner of Capital Markets, Insurance and Savings.

Banking and finance: The firm’s banking department is a leader in this area and provides legal services to most of the banking corporations and financial institutions in Israel, handling all legal aspects of their activities including licensing, commercial lending, compliance, representation before the relevant regulatory authorities including the Bank of Israel, the Supervisor of Banks, the Supervisor of Insurance, the Israeli Securities Authority, the Antitrust Authority and others.

Real estate transactions: Meitar’s real estate department works with some of the largest players in Israel’s commercial and residential real estate markets. The firm advises clients on a wide range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions and sales, leasing, land use, secured financing, debt restructuring, investment and ownership structures, and development and construction. The firm renders services in all aspects of real estate, from the initial stage of land purchase, contact with the planners, advisors and project managers, occupation of projects, sale and ownership listings.

Planning and construction: The firm has a strong practice in providing advice on planning and construction regulation for some of Israel’s largest real-estate ventures and infrastructure projects. The department represents clients in all statutory procedures for the approval of zoning plans, and appears before all planning authorities and courts of law. In addition, the department has vast experience in advising clients on the tax aspects of real property development, including betterment and development levies assessed by Israeli planning authorities. We also have expertise in land expropriation proceedings and representing clients in impairment claims arising out of administrative actions.

Hotels and leisure: Our firm provides legal services to a wide variety of clients, including international and local hotel chains, real estate developers, hotel owners and hotel accommodation owners. Meitar’s specialized hotels and leisure team has over 30 years of experience representing companies engaged in the industry, and provides its clientele with unrivaled legal services in drafting and negotiating hotel purchase agreements, hotel management agreements, lease and operating agreements, franchise and license agreements, hotel room pooling agreements, leaseback agreements and maintenance agreements for mixed-use buildings combining a hotel with residential or commercial spaces. Our lawyers have extensive experience working with the relevant governmental authorities, including the Ministry of Tourism, local licensing authorities, municipalities, the Israel Land Authority, and the local building and planning authorities. Our services also include related practice areas, such as planning and construction, labor law, intellectual property and licensing, commercial agreements, and marketing and maintenance agreements.

Energy and infrastructure: Meitar’s energy and infrastructure practice covers a wide range of fields in the energy sector, including electricity, natural gas and renewable energy ventures, and infrastructure projects. The firm’s services include negotiation and drafting of power purchase agreements, natural gas and other fuel purchase agreements and other energy project agreements. The firm also advises on governmental regulation and tenders related to the energy sector, including renewable energy projects, from the inception of the venture through completion of the project.

Homeland security, cyber, defense and aerospace (aviation law): The firm takes a lead role in the commercial and regulatory aspects of transactions for Israeli and international clients in the security, defense and aerospace (aviation law) fields. Also, the firm represents technology companies engaged in the development of offensive or defensive cyber platforms and is fully acquainted with the full technological background of these industries.

Labor law: Meitar’s labor law practice specializes in all matters related to employment and labor law policies and procedures. The firm represents clients in all legal aspects regarding employment related matters and taxation. The firm’s work includes handling the labor law aspects of M&A transactions and privatizations, including employment-related due diligence and employee transfer issues. As a part of the firm’s labor law services, the firm represents clients in immigration, foreign expert and relocation matters. The team offers legal advice and guidance on the complex process of relocating foreign experts to Israel or abroad.

China and East Asia practice: The firm has unique and extensive experience working on matters related to the Chinese market for over 20 years. The firm represents leading Israeli corporations, institutions, high-tech companies and venture capital funds, in their PRC-related matters.

Environmental law: Representation of leading entities in this field, large industrial companies, companies in the areas of fuel and transportation, water and sewage companies, local sewage authorities. The firm assists in preparing surveys of hazards and preparing companies for extreme scenarios in the environment area.

Telecoms and media: The firm acts for one of Israel’s largest telecom conglomerates, represents one of Israel’s international telecom operators, and has represented clients in tenders for cellular service, as well as in many regulatory, telecom and anti-trust issues.

Insolvency, creditors’ rights and work-outs: Our firm has extensive and varied experience in handling companies in crisis, and has been involved in numerous cases of insolvency, receivership and stays of proceedings of importance in the Israeli economy. Attorneys in the firm have and currently serve as appointees (liquidators, receivers or trustees in stays of proceedings) in complex cases of insolvency.

Involvement in the community: Meitar has a long tradition of community involvement and of using legal expertise to serve disadvantaged members of society. The firm grants each year stipends for law students of Ethiopian heritage in honor of its founding partner, Zvi Meitar Dec. The firm provides pro bono legal services to Or Yarok, the Association for Safer Driving in Israel. In addition, volunteers from our office provide educational tutoring for kids in Jaffa as a part of “Psagot” organization.

Mergers and acquisitions: Mergers and acquisitions are one of our firm’s core strengths. We have consistently represented either purchasers or targets in Israel’s largest M&A transactions, and we have been ranked as Israel’s leading M&A practice in all international and domestic publications. We have acted as lead counsel for some of the world’s largest multinational corporations and private equity funds in their Israeli acquisitions, as well as local counsel for leading international law firms in their Israeli transactions. We also act as lead counsel for Israeli and other clients in their cross-border acquisitions in the US, Europe, and the Far East.