Fischer Behar Chen Well Orion & Co

The Late Isachar Fischer

Founder; 1929-2013

Partners

Ronald Lehmann

Eran Yaniv

Tal Eyal-Boger

Yoram Bonen

Raz Tepper

Tamar Turjeman-Kedem

Anat Shavit

Michael Zellermayer

Shoney Albeck

Shmuel Hamou

Amit Pines

Michal Faktor

Meital Ben-Basat

Miri Kimhi

Gilad Winkler

Galai Sharir

Yoram Shiv

Orit Malka

Oded Revivo

Shay Teken

Ron Sitton

Sagi Hammer

Boaz Noiman

Nitzan Sandor

Omri Shilo

Liat Halperin

Amit Dat

Dror Matatyahu

Shirly Kazir

Shai Zadik

Yael Riemer

Ziv Schwartz

Tal Wiesengrun

Sharon Rosen

Sharon Klein-Manbar

Hagit Horowitz

Zohar Liss

Lihi Blumenfeld

Vered Oren

Noa Barhum

Efrat Sharon

Barak Glickman

Dikla Lavy-Fischer

Etti Dolev

Shalom Hershkovitz

Sharona Haim Pour Abramovich

Sharon Madel-Artzy

Asaf Gabay

Maayan Snir

Nehami Katzenelson

Alex Berman

Debbie Goodman

Anat Shinar

Dalit Kahana Garbi

Sagit Avital Assaf

Hadar Sive

Vered Tzror Jerasi

Shmulik Fried

Founded in 1958, Fischer Behar Chen Well Orion & Co (FBC) is one of Israel’s premier and largest full-service law firms. FBC acts for prominent multinational and Israeli clients and offers professional excellence and personal attention across the spectrum of multidisciplinary legal services. The firm’s attorneys pride themselves, first and foremost, on their business and legal acumen and ability to bring matters to closure, integrating commercial sensitivities of attorneys experienced in handling large-scale matters with in-depth knowledge of first-class practitioners. The firm is consistently ranked as one of Israel’s leading law firms by domestic and international ranking guides (including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, IFLR 1000, GCR, BdiCode, Dun & Bradstreet).

In 2019, the firm employed approx. 400 employees, including approx. 250 lawyers and other professionals and approx. 50 interns. Some of the firm’s lawyers also have licenses to practice law outside of Israel and have gained professional experience in some of the world’s largest and leading firms.

Main Practice Areas

Arbitration & Mediation; Litigation; Dispute Resolution: FBC’s diverse litigation practice handles some of the most strategically significant cases in Israeli courts and arbitration, and represents clients in disputes involving commercial, corporate, securities, contract, class action, administrative, tender, environment, energy, banking, media, libel, IP, real estate, white collar, and other matters.

Aviation & Maritime: Extensive experience in representing airlines (including major airlines and low-cost carriers), shipping companies, insurers, importers and exporters, freight forwarders, and online travel service providers in the full range of matters encompassed by aviation and maritime law. FBC’s team has particular expertise in commercial litigation, class actions, corporate and regulatory matters, leasing and other commercial transactions, competition, labor relations and taxation.

Banking & Finance: FBC represents many of Israel’s largest creditors (including banks and insurance companies, investment houses and financial institutions) and borrowers in complex secured and non-secured financing transactions. FBC regularly counsels foreign banks and financial institutions in their banking and financial regulatory matters. FBC is a market leader in the areas of securitization, secured finance and inter-creditor relations, and has the largest institutional lending practice in Israel. FBC’s banking and finance practice is highly regarded for its ability to structure creative solutions facilitating complex transactions.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency: We advise on various aspects related to DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) and the crypto-currency sphere, and the Blockchain technology, including with respect to regulatory and compliance, tax, corporate, intellectual property and privacy matters. We advise on tokenization, Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), token management and trading, investment and exchange of crypto-currencies, and more.

Capital Markets: FBC provides counsel on international and local public offerings, private placements, controlling shareholder transactions and corporate governance, and ongoing reporting and filing requirements under Israeli and foreign securities laws. FBC represents issuers, banks and underwriters in placements of equity and debt securities on the Israeli and international capital markets and is considered to be a pioneer in developing complex capital financing provided by insurance companies, and in advising on negotiable and non-negotiable financial instruments, exchange-traded certificates and bond transactions.

Class Actions & Derivative Suits: Israel’s leading firm in class action defense litigation and over the last years has represented defendants in some of the largest and most important class actions and derivative suits in Israel in all areas of law, including corporate and securities-related litigation, banking, insurance, antitrust, consumer goods, communications, environment, energy and labor law. FBC helps its clients navigate both the certification stage and, where necessary, the substantive stage of class action cases, and advises clients in evaluating the complex web of potential risks and rewards that typically characterize class actions and derivative suits.

Commercial: Extensive experience in representing major foreign and local companies and in providing support to in-house legal departments in the full range of strategic commercial matters, including joint ventures and partnerships, as well as in advising clients with respect to day-to-day commercial transactions and ongoing business operations, including distribution, licensing, agency, manufacturing and supply agreements.

Competition & Antitrust: FBC’s leading and largest Competition & Antitrust practice represents companies on the full spectrum of criminal, administrative and civil antitrust matters, including merger control, abusive behavior, restrictive arrangements and regulation of cartels, monopolies and oligopolies. FBC’s team provides ongoing advice on antitrust compliance and represents multinational and local companies both in commercial transactions, as well as in class actions and complex litigation before civil courts, criminal courts, the Antitrust Tribunal and the Israel Antitrust Authority.

Cyber & Information Technologies: Legal counsel on a wide array of cutting-edge technology oriented legal matters including privacy, data protection, information security and commercial activities in the cyberspace.

Defamation: FBC is well-seasoned in handling a wide spectrum of issues regarding communications law, such as libel, invasion of privacy, copyright, lifting gag orders, and statutory advertisement prohibitions.

East Asia Desk: Professional and customized legal services to businesses operating in East Asian markets, as well as to East Asian entities and individuals operating in Israel or that seek strategic partnerships and investment opportunities in the Israeli market. The multidisciplinary team is experienced in advising on matters and transactions with parties located in a broad range of East Asian markets.

Environmental: Comprehensive, up-to-date advice on environmental matters, with a full spectrum of services to the most prominent players in the market, from counsel on administrative enforcement proceedings and representation in criminal enforcement proceedings, to the preparation of internal enforcement programs designed to reduce the exposure of officeholders to potential criminal liability for environmental matters. FBC is a leader in Circular Economy initiatives.

Hi-Tech, Technology & Investment Funds: FBC represents and advises start-ups, mature companies, strategic investors, venture capital and private equity funds in all their commercial activities, including initial structuring, investment transactions, license agreements, M&As, PIPE transactions, fund formation, operations acquisitions, private placements and public offerings on securities exchanges in Israel and abroad.

Hotels & Tourism: FBC provides creative and practical solutions and counsel to owners, operators, developers, investors, lenders, franchisors and franchisees, service providers, and other stakeholders in the industry.  We advise on development; acquisition and divestment; operations and management; corporate and joint ventures; finance and restructuring; franchise, licensing and outsourcing; commercial agreements; labor, employment and immigration; data privacy; dispute resolution; and intellectual property, advertising and brand.

Insolvency & Restructuring; Liquidation & Receivership: FBC represents debtors, creditors, companies, bondholders’ representatives and controlling shareholders, and has been involved in nearly all of Israel’s most significant debt arrangements, aggregating tens of billions of NIS in recent years. Such representation often includes the appointment of FBC lawyers in court-appointed roles (trustees, receivers and/or liquidators). FBC focuses on the restructuring of debt and equity interests in troubled companies, including negotiation with a variety of interest groups. Its experience in this field extends to complex reorganizations of multinational enterprises involving Israeli and non-Israeli parties and legal systems as well as appearance in Israeli and foreign courts.

Insurance: The practice is comprised of attorneys from several practices at FBC, advising Israeli and multinational clients in both contentious and non-contentious insurance matters. FBC provides overall advisory services in the areas of insurance, securities and regulation that apply to insurance companies and their managers and directors. FBC represents purchasers of major insurance groups in the Israeli market, as well as providers of representation and warranty insurance in the context of M&A transactions.
Intellectual Property: FBC’s IP practice specializes in the various branches of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, registered designs, copyrights and commercial secrets, as well as on various matters involving television (including productions and TV formats), entertainment media, Internet, Hi-Tech and Life sciences. The practice has vast experience in IP litigation, arbitration and mediation procedures (including as arbitrators), and also in procedures before the Registrar of Patents, Designs and Trademarks and the Israeli Customs Authorities.
Labor & Employment; Immigration: FBC’s prominent practice handles the full scope of labor and employment matters, including collective bargaining, labor disputes, strikes and organized actions, collective agreements, collective litigation, employer-employee litigation, labor contracts, employment agreements, separation agreements, labor relations, due diligence, mediation and arbitration. The practice provides Israel bound immigration law guidance and assistance (work permits, etc.).
Life Sciences & Healthcare: FBC represents prominent multinational and local players in a broad range of areas, including biopharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, medical services, genomics, diagnostics, medical IT and health care services, all in various stages of development. Clients range from medical device and bio-technology start-ups, to international “big pharma” companies, and venture capital funds that focus on life science and health care companies.
Mergers & Acquisitions: FBC has one of Israel’s leading M&A practices and represents major private and publicly traded companies in many of Israel’s largest transactions and has been involved in some of the largest and most significant M&A transactions in Israel over recent years. FBC has exceptionally strong contacts with key regulators, including Israel’s Securities Authority, Antitrust Authority and Ministry of Communications, and its expertise cuts across a wide range of industry sectors.
Private Asset Management: Counseling clients with respect to long-term planning issues, developing and implementing structures that address clients’ wealth planning requirements while, together with the Firm’s Tax Department, taking account of the tax-related issues that are often critical aspects of these structures.
Projects & Energy: FBC has counseled many of the world’s most prominent companies in Israel’s most significant projects and energy matters, totaling tens of billions of NIS. FBC’s expertise spans all sectors, from transportation, infrastructure and natural gas to energy, water and the photovoltaic (PV) energy field, with particular focus on the complex regulatory and real-estate aspects that are integral to this sector. FBC combines its expertise in Project Finance & Energy with its strength in other related practice areas, enabling it to provide a comprehensive solution to both major multinational and domestic clients, including developers, contractors, and financial investors.
Real Estate, Planning & Zoning, and Urban Renewal: Israel’s market leader in Real Estate and Planning & Zoning. It handles major international and local real estate transactions and has extensive experience in representing public and private real estate companies, entrepreneurs, developers, property owners, sellers and purchasers. FBC’s scope of activity is exceptionally broad and encompasses all of the principal facets of a sophisticated transaction-based real estate practice: development projects, planning and zoning matters, income-yielding properties, sale and lease of real estate assets, real estate taxation and real estate litigation. The practice has a deep familiarity with accompanying complex and lengthy urban renewal projects.
Regulatory: FBC has particular expertise in the interface between the business and public sectors and combines profound knowledge of markets subject to supervision and regulation, together with exceptional legal skills and a deep familiarity with decision-making processes in the public sector.
Sports Law: The practice provides complete legal services including representation in various domestic and international courts and tribunals, accompanying teams’ sale and purchase transactions, rights transfers, liquidation, and other commercial and corporate business matters.
Tax: The practice provides counsel on the full spectrum of tax matters related to commercial activities in Israel, including income tax, VAT and real estate tax, as well as on cross-border transactions and other complex transactions handled by the firm. FBC specializes in creating innovative solutions which are tailor-made to its clients’ needs and has particular expertise in precedent-setting tax litigation proceedings and in obtaining pre-rulings from the Tax Authority in a wide variety of areas, including VAT and debt restructuring.
Telecom & Media: Unparalleled experience in representing leading players in each principal segment of Israel’s telecom and media industries, from fixed line and mobile telecommunications to print media, commercial and cable television and radio broadcasting. FBC represents its telecom and media clients on regulatory, litigation, corporate, transactional, labor and other matters, and because of the depth and broad scope of its representation, FBC’s clients look to the firm to be their strategic business advisors and not merely their legal counsel.
White Collar: The practice represents suspects – individuals and companies – under investigation by the Police, the Tax Authority, the Antitrust Authority, the Securities Authority, the internal Police Investigations Unit and other investigatory bodies.