public law, crisis management and regulation

Adv. Raz Nizri is a partner in the firm, and heads of public law, crisis management and regulation at Firon Law Firm.

Throughout his career, Adv. Nizri has established himself as one of the most highly regarded deputy legal advisors and is considered a leading candidate for providing legal consultation to the government. In his previous roles, he was instrumental in providing expert advice on some of the most critical legal issues facing the country.

During his tenure as a senior deputy legal advisor to the government, a position he held until 2011, Adv. Nizri played a crucial role in addressing a wide range of significant legal issues, such as the Harpaz affair, the Greek island affair, the trials of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Moshe Katsav, as well as ministers Haim Ramon, Tzachi Hanegbi (the political appointments affair), Avraham Hirchson and Shlomo Benizri, Knesset members Azmi Bishara and Yehiel Hazan (the double voting affair), Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Anat Kamm-Uri Blau affair, the Barak Foundation affair, the Mizrahi affair (secret surveillance in the police); the Glatt-Berkovich affair (the theft of the Cyril Kern case), Elhanan Tannenbaum, and Mordechai Vanunu. He also played a vital role in coordinating legal advice on issues such as secret surveillance in the Shin Bet and the police, targeted killings, Nohal Shachen (lit. neighbor procedure, advance warning that is given by IDF to civilians before a building is targeted), handling incitement and rebellion, providing legal guidance in the disengagement plan and other matters.

As deputy attorney general for criminal law, a position he held until June 2017, Nizri was responsible for providing legal counseling to the government and various public bodies on issues related to law enforcement tools, determining legislative policy in the criminal field and interpreting it; coordinating between government ministries, formulating policy and consolidating professional consulting and legislative actions in the aforementioned fields, particularly with the Ministry of National Security, the police, the Shin Bet, the Israeli Prison Service and the IDF.Top of FormBottom of Form

In this role, Nizri worked with the attorney general and the attorney general’s office on handling cases and addressing criminal issues under the authority of the attorney general. He was involved in several high-profile cases, including an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sara Netanyahu cases, as well as cases involving ministers Aryeh Deri, Haim Katz, Silvan Shalom, and Avigdor Lieberman, Knesset members Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Isaac Herzog and Faina Kirschenbaum, Judge Yoram Danziger, Rabbi Dov Lior, Shula Zaken, Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, Ephraim Bracha, Gal Hirsch, the Prisoner X case, national security cases, and more. Additionally, he participated in meetings of the political-security cabinet on behalf of the attorney general, including cabinet discussions on Operation Pillar of Defense and Operation Protective Edge, as well as in ministerial committees and Knesset committees on various security and criminal issues.

In January 2017, Nizri was appointed to simultaneously serve as the deputy attorney general of public-constitutional law. In this role, he was responsible for providing legal counseling to the government and various public bodies, as well as accompanying and promoting legislation. This included laws related to fundamental rights and human rights, family law and religious courts, social law, education and higher education laws, health laws, the adaptation of legislation in Judea and Samaria, equal opportunities at work and for people with disabilities, and more. He frequently participated in government meetings as a representative of the Attorney General, addressing legal issues that were discussed.

Among the main projects overseen by the department headed by Nizri: the draft of Basic Law: Legislation, Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People, amendments to the Basic Budget Law (discipline), Reform of the Civil Procedure regulations, The Privacy Protection Bill (enforcement powers), pension arrangements for security agencies, a bill on the death penalty for terrorists, placing cameras in geriatric hospitals, the Sperm Bank Bill, adoption and surrogacy regulations, alimony reform, the special education reform, the declaration of Ariel University as a university, amendments to Basic Law: The Government regarding the rotation government, the “increases of the Chief of General Staff,” the mediation pensions, and more.

In May 2018, in addition to his position as deputy attorney general of public-constitutional law, Nizri was appointed as deputy attorney general of management and special duties. In this role, he was responsible for managing the Consulting and Legislation Department, one of the two central headquarter units under the attorney general. He helped formulate processes and work theory, lead planning and control organization processes, centralized annual work plans, and more. Additionally, he assisted the attorney general in sensitive and complex issues, including providing assistance in criminal cases involving public figures that reach the advisor’s decision.

At the beginning of 2020, with the outbreak of the coronavirus, Nizri was appointed, on behalf of the Attorney General, as the head of the legal system that accompanied the fight against the virus. In this role, he participated in meetings of the Corona Cabinet and other forums, and was responsible for the legal accompaniment of all legal issues that arose in relation to the state’s efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, both in legislative procedures and regulations on the subject, and in ongoing advisory issues.

Nizri also headed the legal team that handled all legal issues related to the Knesset election systems in recent years, including the 4 election systems for the 21st Knesset elections to the 24th Knesset elections.Top of FormBottom of Form

Attorney Nizri holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Political Science with honors, as well as a Master’s degree in Law with honors from Bar-Ilan University. He qualified as a lawyer in 2001.

He is also a lecturer at Tel Aviv University on various legal issues in different forums.