AYR – Amar Reiter Jeanne Shochatovitch & Co

In Israel’s competitive legal market, AYR – Amar Reiter Jeanne Shochatovitch & Co – is not just another firm.

AYR was formed with the clear objective of developing big firm legal services without a big firm attitude. AYR’s founding principles have served the firm well, and it remains committed to them as it continued to grow to become a top-20 firm with the fastest organic growth rate.

The firm is ranked as a leading law firm in all major local and international directories, including Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, Dun’s 100 and BDi Code. Several firm lawyers are dual-qualified in Israel and the US or England and Wales, enabling the firm to conduct business in English and across legal systems with ease and proficiency.

Clients include international and domestic companies in technology, telecommunications, real-estate, retail, media, transportation, high-tech and venture capital, finance and insurance, many of which are leaders of their respective fields.

Our clients are entrepreneurial and sophisticated, and we build our practice with excellence, drive, creativity, resourcefulness, flexibility, diversity and informality to best serve their needs, match their energy, and keep them as clients over the long term. We achieve this by being that rare thing: lawyers who enjoy their work.

Departments and practice areas
Litigation and dispute resolution: Our firm’s litigation department represents clients in complex litigation and arbitration, mediation and administrative proceedings. Our litigation team is the leaders in Israel and has demonstrated legal creativity in the strategy management of each case leading to the achievement of the desired results for our clients.

The department has vast experience in complex disputes, including shareholder disputes and derivative law suits, contractual and real estate disputes, and administrative petitions, including to the High Court of Justice. Our international litigation team has considerable experience in representing foreign clients before the various courts in Israel and in coordinating their litigation activities in multi-jurisdictional disputes.

Class actions: Our class action department is placed at the top of professional rankings in Israel and abroad. Quite uniquely, the practice undertakes only class-action defense cases, giving the team an unusually extensive experience in this field. Clients are naturally high-profile domestic and international corporations.

In the last few years, the team has led the defense of some of the largest class action proceedings in Israel, and has taken a significant part in the establishment of precedential rulings.

Real estate: Our real estate department has established itself as one of the most significant in Israel, representing leading companies in the Israeli market. The real estate department deals with some of the largest and most complex transactions in Israel, including residential projects of thousands of housing units, large commercial projects and complex project financing transactions.

Team lawyers have thorough knowledge of the law and practice of real-estate transactions. Lawyers handle all aspects of transactions, including financing, taxation, and registration at local and national governmental levels.

Commercial and corporate law: The commercial and corporate department represents a wide range of clients, including domestic and international companies, private and public corporations, and entrepreneurs, in all aspects of their ongoing business and commercial activities, including in matters of corporate governance, corporate law, company formation , tenders and other procurement procedures, multinational transactions such as share purchase and asset purchase agreements, distribution and franchise agreements, various services agreements, licensing and JV agreements and many more.

Project and corporate financing: Our fast-growing project and corporate financing practice is a significant player which has been noted and recommended by professional ranking institutions in Israel and around the world. The firm’s financing team represents both borrowers and lenders in project and corporate financing transactions, mainly in real-estate, infrastructure and transportation.

Hi-tech, technological incubators, accelerators and venture capital: Our hi-tech team has vast experience and thorough knowledge in the structuring and handling of complex hi-tech transactions. The team represents Israeli and international clients, including early stage technology companies, institutional and private investors, and start-up incubators and accelerators active in communications, media, mobility, cyber-security and bio-tech. The team advises clients throughout all stages of development, from the early phases of inception, through the establishment and protection of intellectual property rights, investment rounds (starting from the “seed” investment), the ongoing operation of the business and the various engagements with customers, suppliers, agents, service providers etc., until the final sale or IPO of the company.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A): The M&A team has extensive experience and advises a wide range of purchasers and sellers in local and international M&A transactions. The team provides comprehensive assistance regarding all aspects of the M&A transaction, including taxation and antitrust.

Capital market and securities: The capital market and securities team provides legal guidance to issuing companies, underwriters and investors, both in Israel and abroad, regarding all aspects of the securities law and corporate law, and in a wide range of transactions. The team provides a full service in connection with issuances of debt and equity securities, in Israel and abroad.

Privacy, data security and cyber: Our firm’s privacy, data security and cyber team is one of Israel’s strongest and most active, advising on Israeli and EU privacy laws including on such matters as cross-border data transfers, cloud computing, use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in the telecoms, media, insurance, financial, transportation and other industries, data ethics, and general and sectoral data security and cyber defense compliance requirements.

Technical understanding and many years of working with clients the technology sector and in highly-regulated industries and their service providers underpins the work of the practice, which has a strong working relationship with the various regulators.

Communications: The communications practice serves a remarkable roster of telecoms and media clients. The wide range of media and telecoms clients gives the practice an edge in negotiating royalty agreements and an in-depth knowledge of regulatory and commercial matters, including production, transmission and licensing agreements. We advise on such complex matters as ISP liability for content piracy, filtering and classification of content, libel and freedom of expression, network neutrality, compliance with environmental radiation standards, infrastructure sharing, VoIP, privacy and data security, and lawful intercept.

Intellectual property: Our intellectual property expertise is backed by a solid technical understanding of software and telecoms, which underpins the IP services which we provide to clients such as large software multinationals, telecommunications operators, television and radio broadcasters, new media providers, start-ups, and retail giants.

The practice relies on substantial competition law experience to counsel clients on the antitrust implications of various provisions in copyright, trademark, trade secret and know-how licensing arrangements. The team also has unique collective rights licensing expertise.

Competition and antitrust: The competition and antitrust practice is characterized not only by deep familiarity with Israeli and international law, but also by the deep understanding of client activities and the business environment in which clients operate. The team is uniquely experienced in advising technology-related markets involving antitrust and intellectual property.

Insolvency and corporate recovery: The firm’s insolvency team has many years of experience in liquidation and receivership of companies, as well as rehabilitation of distressed companies. The team acts as administrator of corporations in liquidation and receivership, formulates rehabilitation plans and creditor arrangements for the companies and also represents creditors and officers of the companies as well as investors in insolvency proceedings and realization of assets.

Labor law: The firm’s labor law department specializes in representing local and international employers in private and public sectors, including educational institutions, hi-tech companies, communication companies, industrial companies and employee committees in all fields of labor law – private and collective. The department has extensive experience in managing complex cases and disputes as well as collective disputes.

Urban renewal: Our urban renewal team is known for its availability and personal attention, along with a broad understanding of the complexities of all aspects of urban renewal projects. The team represents some of the largest and best-known urban renewal actors as well as residents. We advise on all stages of projects, from initial offers through choosing contractors, developers, and advisers, to obtaining construction permits, financing, and mitigating tax exposure, to delivery and registration of title.

Planning and construction: The planning and construction department handles planning and licensing procedures for infrastructure, residential and commercial projects. The team has extensive experience in accompanying licensing processes throughout the country, as well as handling Land Betterment Tax aspects and consequences. The team represents a variety of public and private clients, including the National Planning and Construction Council, District Committees, Local Committees and Appeal Committees. It also handles litigation cases in Administrative Courts and in the High Court of Justice. Team lawyers take an active part in the legislative processes in the field of planning and construction.

Municipal taxation: The municipal taxation team accompanies dozens of taxpayers in procedures meant to reduce municipal tax rates and development levies. The team represents large-scale companies and other entities in complex disputes regarding charges issued by municipal authorities, as well as other compulsory payments charged at the local government level.

White-collar crime: The white-collar crime department deals with a range of White-Collar offenses, mainly relating to government corruption, tax, securities, antitrust, and money laundering. The department provides clients with cross-border legal services, combining civil, criminal and administrative aspects. The team is well experienced in working with the enforcement and prosecution agencies and in managing complex criminal financial cases including the representation of the clients in the courts and in seizure and forfeiture of property procedures.

Sports law: Our sports law department is unique among Israel’s major law firms. The department accompanies major sport teams in Israel and throughout the world. The team has extensive experience in providing legal counsel to athletes, football clubs and agents, both in local and international large-scale transactions, as well as in the representation of its clients in various legal proceedings, including local and international arbitrations.