Ephraim Abramson & Co.

Real estate 

The real estate sector is one of the most dynamic and significant industries in the Israeli economy in recent years, characterized by a large number of new projects in the areas of residence, commerce and infrastructure, large-scale transactions; and ventures from the field of planning and construction and urban renewal. Most of the time, these are huge projects in scope, which require dealing with complex issues of taxation and planning and construction, as well as an extensive understanding of the law of current practice. The growing attractiveness of real estate investments and transactions, both for Israeli and foreign investors, and the regulatory challenges unique to the industry, require in-depth and extensive legal expertise in the field, and a sophisticated, fresh and creative strategic and tactical approach.

The excellent real estate department of Sh. Friedman, Abramson & Co. began its journey with the opening of the firm about 80 years ago, and is considered one of the most respected and experienced in its field in Israel today.

The department deals with a wide variety of topics: sales and purchase transactions of real estate for commercial, residential and industrial purposes, infrastructure projects, complex planning and construction moves, change of zoning, urban renewal projects - TMA 38 and building evacuation, financing transactions, banking support for projects, transactions of contracting and construction agreements, ongoing management of profitable real estate, entrepreneurship, development, marketing, expropriations and more.

The department's staff has a unique and high level of expertise in real estate law, as well as many years of experience in accompanying and consulting in projects and in the ongoing management of real estate assets, with an emphasis on complex transactions of huge volumes. Among our loyal clients you can find large contracting companies - public and private, investment funds and private investors, private clients, purchasing groups, hoteliers, urban renewal companies, construction and engineering companies, kibbutzim and moshavim, government and local authorities, concessionaires of national infrastructure projects, real estate developers, and more. Our comprehensive and high-quality service touches on all aspects of the transaction, and includes support in the initiation and planning stages, negotiation management, drafting of agreements, representation before the planning and construction authorities, local authorities, and tax authorities, financing issues, tenders, and more. The department works in full cooperation with the other departments in the office, among them - the departments of corporations, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, labor law and litigation, in order to provide our clients with the full and complete package of services, under one professional and efficient roof. We constantly continue to follow the developments in the industry, and to deepen our understanding of the unique needs of each customer, in order to continue to offer the high quality and excellent service for which we have become known among our loyal customers.

planning and construction

Our firm has been providing legal support in the field of planning and construction for many years as part of the legal services to the firm's clients in the field of real estate. The real estate department of our office is one of the strongest and best known in Israel.

The department provides guidance and legal advice in the field of planning and construction to the firm's clients under the leadership of attorneys Asaf Ironi and Shmarit Golan, partners and heads of the planning and construction field in our firm, as well as specific services to "occasional" clients who need planning and construction services only. The skilled team of the department represents in the field of planning and construction some of the largest contractors in Israel, entrepreneurs of commercial areas, hotels and residences, land owners and planners, resident groups, industrial companies and more.

The service is customized to the needs of the customers, and encompasses the entire process - starting from the first stages of planning, representation in discussions with the planning institutions, including objections, representation in courts in administrative petitions and appeals to the Supreme Court, and ending with the implementation of the plan and the completion of the project. The basket of services also includes representation in criminal proceedings for planning and construction offenses, advice in real estate expropriation proceedings, and more.

urban renewal

The real estate department currently accompanies many urban renewal projects on a very large scale, both in representing entrepreneurs and in representing apartment owners. Some of the projects are "huge projects" that include hundreds of apartments for evacuation and the construction of thousands of new apartments. Also, the department provides legal consulting services to the Urban Renewal Directorate of Kiryat Yam, so that there is another layer to the department's specialization in the issue of urban renewal in the view of the field also from the authority's side.

We believe that in the land-poor State of Israel, urban renewal is the first important tool to lead to a development boom in the existing cities for the benefit of upgrading and improving the quality of life of the residents, and increasing the supply of housing units. For this purpose, the firm established a dedicated team for the field of urban renewal led by attorney Yohai Schechter, attorney Amit Yanon and attorney Assaf Ironi, all three of whom are partners in the firm with extensive experience in accompanying complex real estate projects. Yochai has many years of experience in the field of real estate with a specific specialization in urban renewal. Amit has extensive experience in complex real estate transactions, including transactions of urban renewal, real estate taxation, operating contractor agreements, financing agreements, yielding real estate, and more. Lasaf, Head of Planning and Construction, has extensive experience in accompanying complex planning and construction procedures, including urban renewal projects, including representation before the planning institutions (at the local and national level) and the courts. The ongoing concentration and support of the urban renewal activity was expanded by the center of Adv. Aviel Cohen, who joined our firm at the beginning of 2023. Aviel has extensive experience both in representing apartment owners and in representing entrepreneurs, experience which he acquired in his work in leading "boutique" offices in the center of the country in the field of urban renewal.

Our consulting is comprehensive and includes all phases of the project, starting from the early planning stages and obtaining the required approvals from the relevant planning and construction committees, through conducting negotiations and drafting agreements with the many parties involved in the project (executive contractors, apartment owners, architects, appraisers, etc.) and examining the taxation issues involved in the process , and until the projects are fully completed - the registration of the apartments and their delivery.

Dispute resolution, arbitration and mediation

Our firm specializes in settling disputes in alternative ways to the courts, including arbitration and mediation and specializes in both representing parties in these proceedings and also offers a number of senior lawyers in their field who serve as mediators and arbitrators.

The litigation department at our office represents our clients in arbitration and mediation procedures regularly, both in procedures that require mediation or arbitration by virtue of a contract, and in procedures transferred to mediation or arbitration from the courts.

Many times the settlement of the conflict outside the walls of the court is the right way for the parties, and includes many advantages such as the speed of the discussion, the confidentiality of the procedure and the possibility of solutions that are not a complete resolution of the conflict but finding a solution that will allow the parties to continue working together. Our office specializes in finding creative solutions for conflict resolution, both through direct negotiations, and through mediation and arbitration, including religious tribunals or commercial and even international arbitration and mediation institutions.

Our firm has senior lawyers who regularly serve as mediators and arbitrators appointed by the parties, by the Bar Association and by the courts. The field is led by the Honorable Judge (retired) Zvi Zilbertal, who served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Israel, and after retiring from the judiciary after 3 decades of judging, returned to our office, and he conducts mediations and arbitrations within the office.

Intellectual Property and Licensing

Intellectual property is a legal concept that refers to anything and everything that has an economic, commercial or personal value - that is not material or tangible and that has no abstract monetary expression. Intellectual property is around us all the time, and it exists in almost every idea, creation or action that guides our day-to-day activities. Intellectual property is legally regulated by a complex and diverse legal system, which touches on other legal systems and requires expertise and understanding in various fields. The intellectual property department of Sh. Friedman, Abramson & Co. accompanies the firm's clients and advises them in all aspects related to intellectual property, its management and commercialization - including issues related to copyrights, trademarks, models, ideas and innovations, trade secrets, patents, knowledge management and databases, plagiarism and commercial imitations, Internet law and domain names, damage to reputation and good name, unfair enrichment, protection of privacy, granting of licenses, commercialization of knowledge and technology, due diligence in merger and acquisition transactions and more. The department's clients include government companies, public companies, private companies from Israel and abroad, start-up companies and private entities engaged in creation and commerce, as well as major universities, colleges and research institutes, intellectual property commercialization companies, and members of academic faculty. The lawyers in the department have extensive experience and a good familiarity with The commercial practice and the prevailing laws in Israel and abroad - especially when it comes to the aspects of intellectual property and their application in higher education, research institutes, technology commercialization companies, and start-up companies whose main activity is based on inventions and innovations. The legal service provided by the lawyers in the department is provided on two levels:

On the one level - including treatment and legal advice regarding the protection of intellectual property and the freedom of action of the firm's clients. The lawyers in the department are able to provide a quick legal response to any question, crisis or problem concerning intellectual property, the legal service provided by them includes ongoing legal advice, providing opinions on professional questions, permitted fields of action and freedom of action, registration of trademarks, models and other rights that are subject to registration In Israel and abroad (including by handling objections and reservations), risk assessment, appearing in courts, arbitrations and other legal tribunals, etc.

On the other level - with regard to the commercialization of intellectual property as well as its exploitation, transfer and restitution to others. In this area, the attorneys in the department have unique expertise and extensive experience with regard to drafting license agreements, research and collaboration agreements, intellectual property commercialization agreements, due diligence, and more. Our firm represents the intellectual property commercialization company of one of the leading universities in Israel and the investment fund it established for investments in companies commercializing projects from the pharmaceutical field of researchers at that university. The team of the department works in full and close cooperation with lawyers from abroad as well as with the other departments of the firm - including the commercial department, litigation department, high-tech, companies and the capital market, and this as part of the complete, comprehensive and high-quality package of services that the firm offers to its loyal clients.

Commercial law

The success of any business entity - whether it is a huge corporation with worldwide operations, or whether it is a start-up company at the beginning of its journey - is based to a large extent on an available and efficient legal service, which provides a full, practical and effective response, both to the day-to-day needs related to the day-to-day management and leadership of the organization , and for special events that require dealing with complex challenges. The commercial law department of Sh. Friedman, Abramson & Co., is one of the most skilled and high-quality in Israel. We provide our clients with legal services related to commercial activity in all its aspects, which are tailored to the unique needs and dimensions of each client - and in accordance with long-term goals and strategic considerations.

Our rich experience in the international arena as well as the extensive network of contacts, give these services a significant added value, which places us at the forefront of legal practice in Israel. The fact that the department works in full cooperation with the departments of taxes, intellectual property, labor law and employee and executive compensation, high-tech, real estate, administrative law, regulation and antitrust - makes Sh. Friedman, Abramson & Co. for an efficient and practical interdisciplinary One Stop Shop for its customers. Our range of services in the field of commercial law includes managing negotiations and drawing up agreements of all kinds, including - mergers and acquisitions (also with foreign companies), joint ventures, investment agreements, trust agreements, agreements for the provision of services, development agreements, outsourcing, distribution, consulting , franchise and license, OEM agreements, sales/purchase agreements, import/export, etc.; Consulting on a variety of regulatory issues relating to the proper course of business, and activity with public and governmental bodies; Consulting on issues related to the establishment of new companies and their registration, and all the matters involved - including partnerships and founders' agreements, investment agreements, capital raising - in Israel and abroad, from private and institutional sources, and in various scopes; Ongoing legal support of the company; Consulting in special events that require dealing with complex issues (such as the purchase or sale of assets, collaborations with strategic partners, due diligence, entry into business activity in new countries, etc.), accompaniment in activities related to the capital market - in Israel and abroad, issuances of various financial volumes in the stock exchanges The country and the world, etc.

Among our long-standing clients you can find large corporations - Israeli and foreign, long-standing and established companies (private and public) from traditional industry, high-tech, communications, medical equipment, finance, infrastructure and energy, real estate, pharma, manufacturing, R&D, contractors, entrepreneurs and private investors, and more. The commercial law team is confident in providing an immediate and factual response to the emerging needs of its clients, and strives to strengthen its network of relationships - all in order to continue to provide the excellent and high-quality service for which it is known.

Labor law and labor relations

The Labor Law Department in Friedman, Abramson & Co., consists of experienced and respected lawyers, who possess rich experience in the whole range of issues related to the world of labor law.

The department is committed to providing an available and professional response to its clients based on the rich knowledge it possesses, with the aim of presenting its clients with creative and practical solutions that suit the unique needs of each employer.

Among our clients you can find regulatory bodies, government companies, health systems, higher education institutions, industrial companies, shipping companies, retail chains, high-tech companies, educational chains, non-profit organizations, foreign companies operating in Israel and more.

The legal services that the department provides to its clients cover a wide range of issues including, among others:

Ongoing consulting - the department regularly and daily accompanies the firm's clients and provides ongoing and immediate legal advice to employers, in their daily activities and providing solutions to a wide variety of problems that arise during the working life of the firm's clients.

Meanwhile, the department is engaged in drafting documents with legal implications and providing opinions, drafting employment agreements, managing employment termination procedures and retirement agreements, drafting compromise arrangements, advising on complex employment features (hiring through a third party), drafting work procedures, accompanying procedures according to the law to prevent sexual harassment and providing training.

Litigation - we represent in all types of legal proceedings in the field of labor law in all courts as well as in mediation and arbitration proceedings and before various government authorities (such as in requests for dismissal permits and representation in administrative enforcement proceedings). Our office has the experience of hundreds and thousands of cases of all types, including individual claims, collective disputes and class actions.

Collective labor relations - the department has extensive experience in the field of organized labor, including accompanying employers in initial workers' organizations, accompanying negotiation procedures for the signing of collective agreements and drafting collective agreements. This, both in consulting employers and in consulting regulatory bodies accompanying the negotiations. In addition, the attorney in the department has experience in managing legal proceedings in connection with collective disputes and procedures related to the interpretation of collective agreements.

Joint work interfaces with other departments in the firm - the department works in conjunction with other professional departments in the firm, and is involved in every subject in which aspects related to labor laws. Thus, the labor law department routinely accompanies mergers and acquisitions transactions that are handled by the firm's commercial department, and also performs proper inspections. In addition, the department has expertise in preparing compensation plans and options for employees in collaboration with the firm's tax department.