Insights & News /  

Cipia Vision Ltd. has convened a shareholders’ meeting to approve a merger with Tomer Import and Marketing of Food Products (1983) Ltd., expected to take place in early May. Upon completion, Cipia will acquire 100% of Tomer’s shares through a share exchange, with Tomer’s controlling shareholder expected to hold approximately 70.99% of the merged company. Tomer has also reported growth in revenues and profitability. We are representing Tomer throughout the transaction and until its completion.

We were interviewed about the Israeli President’s unique authority—positioned in the delicate space between law and morality—to reduce sentences, shorten critical record periods, or even erase charges or convictions. The interview was conducted in the context of the current President’s consideration of the Prime Minister’s request for a pardon. 

We spoke with Globes about a troubling new phenomenon: unusual betting patterns and extraordinary activity across financial markets and prediction platforms just moments before major policy announcements. These patterns are raising growing concerns about the potential use of non-public, insider information. 

We recently lectured as part of BDO Academy’s course on virtual currencies and blockchain. The course is intended for managers and executives, directors, institutional investors, investment managers, and analysts. The lecture focused on the development of regulation in Israel and globally.

The public company Canzon Israel has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the real estate and urban renewal company Brooks Cohen Development. Upon completion of the transaction, Brooks Cohen Development will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Canzon Israel. We are advising Canzon Israel and Brooks Cohen Development throughout all stages of the transaction.

We represented the public company Canzon Israel in its acquisition of real estate company Brooks Cohen Entrepreneurship. Upon completion of the transaction, Brooks will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Canzon. 

A new initiative led by Israel’s Ministry of Finance seeks to curb the involvement of organized crime in public tenders, a goal both important and necessary. However, the proposed language of the draft bill raises concerns that the burden may ultimately fall on the public, both financially and democratically. As an expert in the field, Adv. Liran Welcman, who heads our firm’s public tenders practice, shares his insights in a thought-provoking op-ed.

Recently, in an effort to intensify the fight against international crime, the Knesset passed an amendment to the Legal Assistance Between States Law, 1998, expanding the authorities' powers to confiscate assets located in Israel that belong to individuals facing criminal proceedings abroad. The amendment raises critical legal dilemmas concerning the rights of suspects and third parties.

Since the beginning of 2024, out of eight companies that conducted an initial public offering (IPO) on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, six had previously raised debt through bonds. See more in an interview with TheMarker. 

We represented 100 apartment owners in a Tama 38 project in Holon, in which the development company entered insolvency proceedings. We guided the residents through a mediation process that resulted in an agreement safeguarding the residents' rights and securities without requiring any additional payment. The agreement also paved the way for resuming construction on the project. The mediation agreement, which included commitments from new apartment buyers (not the firm's clients) to inject ILS tens of millions into the project to fund its completion, was approved by the district court.

In an op-ed for Calcalist, we address the rights of suspects and the lack of oversight of investigative authorities concerning searches made on computer devices.

As part of our cooperation with BDO Academy, we were invited to lecture on topics such as the role of the corporate secretariat, its importance to the organization, getting to know board directors, case law analysis, and corporate governance.

Our firm represented Trivago, a leading global hotel search platform, in its strategic investment and call option to acquire Holisto, an Israeli AI-driven travel tech platform that serves as a hotel rate aggregator and white-label booking engine provider. Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss and Adv. Dean Weinberg represented Trivago.

Adv. Idan Miller, the head of our firm's Insolvency Department, was appointed as the insolvency trustee for White Dress Marketing Ltd. (formerly Riki Dalal Group). Idan submitted an economic rehabilitation plan on behalf of the company and its shareholders for the Tel Aviv District Court's approval. In his request, Idan asked that the controlling shareholder's military reserve service be recognized as a contributing factor for the purpose of granting relief and avoiding a full insolvency procedure. When asked by the court for his response, the Commissioner for Insolvency Proceedings accepted this position.

Everything you need to know about key money transactions—the advantages, the disadvantages, and the law.

Our firm is proud to serve as the legal partner of MaofTech, an accelerator program for early-stage startups in the Northern Negev region, and to provide legal services to its various ventures. MaofTech is operated by the Ministry of Economy and Industry’s Agency for Small and Medium Businesses. Its aim is to encourage, promote, and develop businesses in Sderot and the communities of the Gaza Envelope.

We were pleased to host the Israel Investor Relations Forum’s conference on the future of stock market trading. A one-on-one conversation was held between Micah Stocks, a financial YouTuber who presents stock market news, and Rami Rozen, Director of Investor Relations at AppsFlyer and a member of the IIRF’s regulatory committee. 

During a lecture at Reichman University, we offered insights into the convergence of regulatory frameworks and fintech verticals, shedding light on how to navigate and comply with evolving regulatory conditions.

As an employment law expert, Adv. Jacki Silbermann was interviewed by Israel Hayom about the rights of working parents. With regard to shortened work days, Jacki noted, “There are special arrangements that entitle parents to shorter work days for a certain period of time.  In the absence of a workplace arrangement regarding shorter work days, and if an employee requests such to take care of his children, he must reach an agreement with his employer."

Together with the Israel Hedge Funds Association, we hosted a webinar on the key points to be included in agreements with brokers.

Israel Acquisitions Corp, initially founded as a SPAC, and Pomvom Ltd., a technology firm specializing in amusement park content, have formally announced a binding merger agreement. The combined entity is set to be traded on NASDAQ. We represented Pomvom Ltd.

We were interviewed by Finance Magnates, where we strongly criticized the US Securities and Exchange Commission's current strategy toward the cryptocurrency market. This criticism comes in the wake of the SEC's aggressive legal actions against major players such as Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance.

Adv. Alon Wolner and Adv. Shoval Mandel represented the purchaser in the acquisition of a Tel Aviv penthouse for more than ILS 22 million. The transaction was Israel's most expensive real estate deal in October.

Zvi is among an exclusive list of lawyers nominated for the Lexology 2024 Client Choice Awards. Zvi is the only Israeli lawyer recognized in the Blockchain field.

We were interviewed by Mako following a US study that revealed an unusual volume of transactions on the New York and Tel Aviv stock exchanges betting on a collapse of the Israeli stock market in the week preceding Hamas’s October 7th attack.

Our firm hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel on the issue of compliance during wartime. As part of the webinar, we emphasized the compliance actions required during wartime by offering comparisons to other recent global war zones.

Adv. Jacki Silbermann, from our Employment Department, was interviewed by the Society for Human Resources Management, the world’s largest HR association, in connection with remote work in Israel during the ongoing war. Jacki noted, “A lot of the businesses where employees can do remote work, in the high-tech and other sectors, have moved to that, and I think they're planning on being in that stage for a while.”

Together with the Israeli Association of Corporate Counsel, we held a webinar on compliance that included a lecture entitled, “What Do Regulators Want to See? Training and Implementation of Compliance Procedures.”

We were interviewed by Globes on PayPal’s decision to launch a stablecoin backed by the US dollar.

We were interviewed by TheMarker on the phenomenon of companies going public via mergers with stock market skeletons.

Our Real Estate Department is advising apartment owners in a residential complex designated for pinui-binui in Herzliya. We represented a group of about 120 apartment owners in court against three recalcitrant owners who are objecting to the project due to their demand for higher recompense from the contractor. The court made the extraordinary decision to order the recalcitrant owners to pay ILS 7.8 million in compensation (ILS 2.6 million apiece). In addition, each recalcitrant owner was ordered to pay ILS 20,000 for legal expenses.

We were invited to lecture at the Association of Publicly Traded Companies’ annual economic conference, where we discussed the ruling in Inbar v. Ofir Naor, the liquidator of IDB Development Corp., and the lessons corporate counsel should draw from it regarding the provision of legal representation to directors, especially those of a public company.

We were interviewed by TheMarker about how the regulation of crowdfunding can help investors.

Our firm hosted a morning workshop of experts from the ESG and sustainability field. Dr. Zvi Gabbay lectured on the legal angle of ESG. Michal Weiss, the ESG manager at Doral, discussed how to undertake ESG activities within an organization. Hagit Genish Gil lectured on how to make ESG activity suitable for a large organization. Michal Gat, the CEO of Titan, closed the event with a lecture on how to build a branding story that is right for a company’s activities.

BlackRock, the world's biggest asset management company, has announced the launch of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. This has led to Bitcoin hitting a more than one-year high. We explain the rationale behind BlackRock's move in an interview with Globes.

The Arrangements Law for 2023-2024 makes extensive reference to expanding and creating a regulatory infrastructure in the digital assets field. Specifically, the Israeli government refers to regulation in a number of different areas, including the cryptocurrencies market. See more in an article for Calcalist.

Adv. Eyal Nachshon and Adv. Naama Ben Arosh Moshe are representing Eshkolot, the Company for the Performing Rights of Israeli Artists in a lawsuit it filed against Netflix, alleging the company made use of protected performances without obtaining the artists’ consent and without paying them royalties.

We are happy to be a partner in the ReCombinant program, an AB InBev-TAU Ventures collaboration dedicated to fostering pilot activity and joint R&D. The program is supported by the Israel Innovation Authority.

Our firm held a webinar for members of GCs for GCs, in which we presented the existing regulation in Israel in the field of ESG and the trends in the US and Europe. The webinar also addressed ESG risk management in an environmental context.

The firm participated in the Israeli compliance community’s annual conference for 2023, joining a panel discussion with Hani Amar, a partner at BDO in the corporate governance and regulation division, and Adv. Ariel Sagi, a compliance officer and board member at Rafael.

As part of the annual Dun’s 100 forum, senior executives from the finance industry discussed such burning issues as the non-bank credit sector, the slowdown in high-tech and real estate activity, and more. Adv. Dudi Cohen, the head of our firm’s Finance and Public Corporations Department, noted that "even though in the near future we are likely to see a wave of companies realizing there is no place for them in the stock market and that they will be sold as skeletons or deleted from the trading rolls, we still need to remember that there are entities that have an interest in raising capital through the stock market."

We participated in an episode of the podcast hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsels in Israel, which focused on tools for dealing with administrative enforcement.

Our office represents a senior official under investigation in connection with suspicions of embezzlement, estimated at approximately ILS 120 million that were allegedly wrongfully obtained from the agricultural association at Moshav Achisemech.

Following pollution to the Ashalim River and its surrounding areas in 2017, three plaintiffs filed a class action against Rotem Amfert, a subsidiary of ICL Group, for ILS 400 million. The plaintiffs demanded compensation for the ecological damage caused to the area.

Following the collapse of FTX, several lawsuits were filed against the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, which had entered into cooperation agreements with the now-defunct crypto company. In an interview with Finance Magnates, we noted that the plaintiffs must present at least preliminary evidence that the basketball team knew, or should have known, of FTX’s wrongdoing. 

Adv. Anat Even-Chen, the head of our firm's regulation practice, was interviewed by Walla for a special article ahead of Black Friday. She offered readers a number of tips for safe online shopping.

We were guest lecturers in a webinar hosted by the Israeli Association of Publicly Traded Companies' Legal Counsel Forum, where we addressed the do's and don'ts of administrative enforcement proceedings.

Adv. Nir Ziman from our Tax Department was interviewed by several media outlets and shared how Israeli residents can obtain additional income tax credits. He also addressed what taxpayers should pay attention to when filing their income tax reports, and provided some helpful tips as the end of the tax year approaches.

Our firm represented Danel Group, a human resources and nursing company traded on the TASE, in raising more than ILS 130 million in a private IPO for Nokd Capital, The Phoenix, and Reading Capital.

The Israel Tax Authority announced a temporary solution for the problem of tax benefits in TAMA 38 projects. Our firm commented on the proposed solution.

Adv. Eran Winner represented Shefayim Water Park in reaching a settlement agreement in the class action filed against it over alleged violations of Israel’s Prevention of Smoking in Public Places and Exposure to Smoking Law.

Last week, the Knesset approved Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked's new urban renewal plan in second and third readings. The new plan will replace Tama 38, the national outline plan for strengthening existing structures against earthquakes. What are the main points of the new urban renewal plan? How will it be implemented and until when can projects be promoted within the framework of Tama 38? Read Globes' new article.

The decision to hold elections in October 2022 looks likely to have a significantly negative effect on Israel’s urban renewal industry. Our firm commented to The Marker, “If we hoped for a slowdown or a halt to rising real estate prices, it’s not going to happen. Especially in the urban renewal field, there is a real fear of massive delays.”

USD 1.5 million fines, preliminary administrative proceedings, dramatic resignations—growing enforcement on ESG issues is becoming a bigger trend. Who should be preparing for this change and how will it affect Israeli companies?

As part of our firm's collaboration with the IBM Alpha Zone accelerator, lawyers from our firm took part in the judging panel examining the eleven startup companies participating in the venture. They also talked to the entrepreneurs about technological ideas, business plans, and innovation.

An article co-written by a firm partner will be featured in the next volume of Reichman University's "Law and Business" journal. The article deals with requests for early disclosure of documents under the Companies Law and how Israeli courts examine such requests, in a way that often misses the purposes of the request and sterilizes it from its content

Our firm hosted Zvi Rabin and members of the Investor Relations Forum to discuss insider trading. We lectured on the characteristics of the crime, how the Israel Securities Authority handles such offenses, and the importance of obtaining professional legal assistance.

Adv. Hagit Ben Moshe, a partner and head of our firm's Kibbutz Sector Department, was a featured speaker at the annual Water Economy and Renewable Energies Conference. Hagit discussed the challenges of contracting between rural settlements and entrepreneurs in renewable energy projects.

As part of the compliance forum our office leads, in collaboration with the ACC and Tali Guy, Teva's VP of Compliance, we hosted a meeting of legal counsels. We lectured on ESG’s implications for the compliance field and how companies should prepare for future regulations.

Our firm participated in a "Zichlinskey Hosts" meeting held by SRI Global Group together with the Israel Directors Union.

We represented Amir Birman, one of the directors of Keren Or, in a sentencing appeal. The Supreme Court significantly reduced his sentence and granted him permission to appeal to Israel’s President for a pardon.

We represent the CEO of Granite Securities Portfolio Management in connection with his arrest and subsequent release under restrictive conditions following an investigation by the Israel Securities Authority. He is suspected of fraudulently obtaining loans totaling approximately ILS 6.5 million from the company's clients, making false representations in connection with those loans, and falsely representing that he provided investment advice in accordance with applicable law.

Many organizations are facing manpower issues related to recruiting and retaining employees. This has led to a sharp rise in HR tech. Globes interviewed experts from the technology field, among them Adv. Daniel Lorber, a partner at our firm. Daniel noted there are a variety of solutions for existing challenges: artificial intelligence platforms that detect bias and discrimination against candidates or that know how to read employee work patterns, augmented reality technologies that allow candidates to “see inside” an organization before deciding to join, and tools that can warn a company about employee burnout or an employee’s intention to leave the company.

We are representing Moti Abergil, the CEO of Yeadim Real Estate Group, in an investigation led by the Israel Securities Authority.

Former Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently expressed concern about the continued expansion of the crypto and NFT markets, particularly the risks they may pose to anti-money laundering efforts and to the stability and proper functioning of the financial system. These concerns arise, in part, from the unique characteristics of blockchain technology, which allows users to create and transfer digital assets with monetary value directly to one another without the need for a central intermediary to manage or oversee the transaction.

Two recent high-profile cases have brought privacy issues to the forefront: the Israel Police's alleged use of NSO's Pegasus software to infiltrate civilians' phones, and a Supreme Court ruling permitting the police to search the phones of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides. Against this backdrop, N12 published an op-ed discussing the right to privacy in information stored on smartphones and computers.

We lectured today at the annual convention of the Israeli Association of Publicly Traded Companies on the required preparations public companies must make in the face of cyberattack threats.

We lectured today to members of the "Law and Environment" student club at Bar-Ilan University, addressing the practice of environmental law and analyzing precedent-setting judgments involving the environment.

Our firm is advising the Association of Publicly Traded Companies vis-a-vis the Ministry of Justice, the Commission for Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities, and the Israel Securities Authority regarding accessibility requirements for public company reports. From the legal review we prepared for the client, we determined there is no place or justification, even from a broad international perspective, to impose accessibility requirements on companies with regard to public company reports, or to allow private enforcement in the form of class action lawsuits against public companies.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak and the exacerbation of the climate crisis, ESG factors have increasingly influenced the profit line of businesses. The ESG Management Program at the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University, which will open in March 2022, will bring the most important aspects of ESG to those whose activities have an impact on the investment chain: executives, directors, investors, analysts, and public sector personnel. As part of the program, we will give a lecture entitled "Risks and Legal Responsibility – How ESG Becomes a Significant Part of the Duties of an Organization's Officers and What Happens When Neglected."

Our firm, in collaboration with the Public Companies Forum of the Israeli Association of Corporate Counsel, has launched a series of webinars on internal enforcement. Among the lectures in the series is "Prohibition on the Use of Insider Information, What an Internal Enforcement Plan Is, and How It Is Implemented in Organizations."

Gett announced last week a USD 1.1 billion merger with an SPAC. This prompted unrest among former Gett employees who feared a dilution of their shares. We were interviewed by TheMarker about workers' rights during issuances and SPAC processes.

November brings with it a variety of online shopping deals and promotions. Before making a purchase, it is important to know which products are tax-exempt, which sites to buy from, and what warning lights should not be ignored. Adv. Karin Kashi, coordinator of our firm’s privacy practice, addresses the issue in an interview with Ynet.

An op-ed in Globes addressing the current Knesset debate over the establishment of a new regulatory authority.

An Israeli district court rejected the Israel Tax Authority’s attempt to force the Azrieli Foundation to pay taxes in the amount of tens of millions of shekels for dividends it received and continues to receive due to its holding in Azrieli Group's shares. The court accepted the tax appeal, which was filed by Barnea Jaffa Lande, and ruled that the Azrieli Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works for the public good in Israel, is not the controlling owner of Azrieli Group and is therefore entitled to a tax exemption. The court ruled, among other things, that the ITA’s position could have a chilling effect in relation to business entities’ support of philanthropic associations. Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, Adv. Harel Perlmutter, Adv. Nir Ziman, and Adv. Omer Keydar represented the Azrieli Foundation throughout the proceedings, which lasted about five years.

Several of Israel's leading lawyers in the field of white-collar crime and criminal law were interviewed by Calcalist, including experts from our firm. We addressed the core issues of the field and the impact of COVID-19, along with a forecast for several ongoing major cases.

Adv. Daniel Lorber, who specializes in high-tech and startups, will participate in an expert panel on the challenges of entering the US market. This subject is particularly relevant for young startups who have found such a move difficult.

The volume of real estate transactions incorporating digital currencies is expected to grow in the coming years, especially among young, wealthy, tech-savvy professionals. We were interviewed by Globes on the trend, noting the regulatory challenges that exist in these types of transactions.

The Compliance Forum of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel hosted a webinar this morning on the responsibilities of compliance officers in organizations. As part of the webinar, we discussed new trends and developments, as well as the normative basis for imposing personal responsibility on compliance officers in organizations.

Offering options to buy a company’s shares has become a legitimate benefit even for companies not in the high-tech field. As experts in the field, we were interviewed by Globes on what it means to receive options in a company.

The Israel Hedge Funds Association (IHFA) is hosting the webinar "Contacting Investors – Do's and Don'ts." As part of the webinar, we will discuss the legal infrastructure required for reaching out to investors.

Bar-Ilan University's International Law Club & Global Law Forum is hosting the webinar "Cyber and Privacy in International Law." As part of the webinar, Adv. Anat Even-Chen, partner and head of our firm's regulation practice, will discuss the international aspects of privacy and cybersecurity law.

We are proud to serve as the legal partner of the Environmental Law Club of Bar-Ilan University. Our firm will be presented as part of the launch event taking place on June 15, 2021.

The growing wave of IPOs on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is pushing an overwhelming number of private companies to consider going public. In an interview with the TheMarker on the trend, we explain how companies considering an IPO must behave with both the public and regulatory authorities to succeed.

Building an initiative? Does it include intellectual property you want to protect? We were interviewed by Globes, where we explained to entrepreneurs every step they must take on the path to registering a patent.

The publication of large-scale construction plans often provokes fierce opposition from residents in the area. Yedioth Ahronoth published in its weekend edition a comprehensive article on the subject featuring an expert from our firm. What do you need to know about submitting a plan and how to do so?

Globes has dedicated its Real Estate Supplement for Israel's Independence Day to real estate innovation. We were asked to publish a guest column discussing the implementation of blockchain technology that enables the registration and performance of digital operations through a distributed network of computers in the real estate field. We noted that once land registration is also based on blockchain, buyers will be able to purchase real estate property and take out a mortgage in exactly the same way online purchases are made today.

As part of the ACC Compliance Forum we lead, we will host a webinar tomorrow on the supervision and control procedures within organizations. We will discuss the theoretical aspects and challenges in the field, followed by an expert panel.

The Rina and Meir Heth Center for the Study of Competition and Regulation at the College of Management is holding a webinar with former judges and legal experts entitled “10 Years of Administrative Enforcement in Israel.” We were invited to participate in the lawyers’ panel of experts, which will examine the impact of administrative enforcement tools on violations of Israeli law. 

Israeli companies that view the US as a relevant market for selling products, receiving investments, or a future sale or merger transaction should be aware of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Until recently, companies have focused their privacy policies on customers and suppliers, but have not placed enough emphasis on the privacy of their employees. We are now seeing a trend reversal, as employees are beginning to understand that an organization cannot do what it wants with their information and that there are legal limitations to collecting information about them. Organizations must now be more careful with employees’ privacy and this is how to do it. 

Adv. Anat Even-Chen participated in Globes' Material for Thought conference on the cyber industry. Anat was featured on a panel about the effects of a cyber crisis on an organization, where she discussed how companies should prepare for upcoming challenges in 2021 in this field.

Our firm organized a webinar for legal advisers and compliance officers, in partnership with ACC Israel. As part of the webinar, we lectured on the connection between ethics and obedience. Are they in competition or do they complement one another? 

We lectured today on the distribution and marketing of hedge funds as part of a virtual conference held in collaboration with the Israel Hedge Funds Association and the international law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman.

A number of US pharma companies have issued a joint statement promising not to shorten the process for developing a coronavirus vaccine or to prioritize narrow economic considerations over public health. This cooperation between competing companies challenges existing perceptions about the business sector and shows that sometimes public health is no less an important consideration. Is now the time for companies to value the public good and other relevant stakeholders over company shareholders? Read more in an op-ed in Globes.

In mid-September 2020, a series of articles were published by a group of foreign journalists, based on the collection and analysis of over 2,500 leaked documents from FinCEN, the US equivalent of the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority. The leak of such sensitive information may cause banks and financial institutions to think twice before reporting suspicious financial activity, which would be a mistake. Read more in an op-ed in Calcalist.

The Israel Investor Relations Forum of the Israeli Association of Publicly Traded Companies, in collaboration with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, has launched an investor relations course for executives from leading companies. Yesterday’s session focused on regulation, including the rules of the game and how to publicize announcements to international investors.

As part of our legal counsel to the Israel Hedge Funds Association, we are proud to be involved in the IHFA's 8th Annual Conference. The theme of the conference is “It's A New World Out There – Hedge Funds Navigating COVID.”

In an important ruling recently handed down, the Tel Aviv District Court rejected a ILS 120 million lawsuit filed by Habas Group against the company's managers. Judge Kabub's ruling constitutes an initial interpretation of a new section of the the Insolvency and Rehabilitation Law, which deals with the degree of responsibility that can be attributed to managers when the company they run becomes insolvent.

As experts in the compliance field, we were invited for the fourth straight year to lecture a compliance officer training course organized by the BDO Academy of Finance and MITIGATE. This unique practical course is geared to compliance officers in international financial organizations. During the lecture, we discussed administrative enforcement and enforcement plans.

In the weekend edition of Yedioth Ahronoth, urban renewal experts gathered to discuss burning questions in the field. Representatives from our firm commented on what alternative housing is and when a tenant is entitled to it.

On June 2, we will host a webinar together with the ACC addressing the opportunity to upgrade the role of compliance officer in light of the coronavirus crisis. The webinar is geared for compliance officers and legal counsels.

The Israel Securities Authority's current enforcement policy requires officers and companies that have acted in good faith to establish their good faith in administrative enforcement proceedings. Read an op-ed in TheMarker discussing how regulators can recalibrate this policy.

On April 17, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its case against our client Amir Waldman. Waldman, the former vice president of Israel-based medical device company Syneron Medical Ltd., was alleged to have made USD 4.3 million via insider trading on an autonomous driving system technology developer. He will pay the SEC nearly USD 2.2 million to end a civil enforcement lawsuit, a New York federal district judge announced Friday. We commented on the decision: "As in many cases, here too, a negotiation was being conducted at the same as we were preparing for trial, and it ultimately ended with an excellent result. This is a civil not a criminal case, and the arrangement, under which Amir does not admit or deny the facts, allows Amir to move on."

Together with Lior Segev, the co-founder and CEO of Liquant Asset Management, we hosted an online seminar for members of the Israel Hedge Funds Association on business continuity planning during the coronavirus.

 As experts in the real estate field, our firm was interviewed about Globes about the use of the force majeure clause in real estate contracts We noted, "The law does not have a uniform definition of what a force majeure event is and interpretation is made in accordance with previous rulings.”

A podcast featuring Adv. Lee Alter discusses the rights of employees in home quarantine or on unpaid leave due to the coronavirus pandemic

A partner from the firm served as a panelist at the annual FOW event. The panel discussed the essentials for entrepreneurs entering the fintech market.

As experts in the TMT field, our firm was asked to contribute the Israeli law and practice overview for the Chambers Israel TMT guide. In their overview, Adv. Micky Barnea, Adv. Daniel Lorber, and Adv. Anat Even-Chen discuss legal considerations for big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. They also address key data protection principles, the challenges with IT service agreements, and privacy matters. As a whole, the TMT guide offers insights for each jurisdiction.

Adv. Daniel Lorber participated today at the Israeli Go Global Forum meetup. Daniel presented to participants the issues that arise when deciding whether to recruit a local manager versus relocating an Israeli manager abroad.

We participated today in a panel entitled "Regulations and Securities, Where Are We?" The panel was part of an event focused on 2020 predictions for the blockchain industry in Israel. Dozens of entrepreneurs and leading players from the local blockchain community attended.

Our firm was interviewed by Globes on the Urban Renewal Authority's latest initiative to limit the addition of space in the apartments of pinui-binui projects to 12 square meters. We explained that this reduction represents another decrease in entrepreneurs' profit, thus jeopardizing the promotion of projects in this field.

We participated today at a meetup organized by the Israel Smart Cities Institute together with the Ethics Committee of the Kenyan Parliament as part of its visit to Israel. We lectured on bribery in Israel and various legislative initiatives on the subject.

An op-ed in TheMarker addresses how the Israel State Attorney's guideline on indicting and sanctioning corporations will guide the decision on the prosecution of Bezeq, Walla, and Yedioth Ahronoth.

We were invited to lecture at a directors' seminar hosted by Analyst Investment House, where we addressed administrative enforcement, the Israel Securities Authority's structure, and its enforcement system.

We were invited to lecture at a compliance conference organized by Discount Bank for all its compliance officers, trustees, board members, and management.

Our firm hosted the Israeli Directors' Union for a seminar on multi-jurisdictional litigation, held in collaboration with Dechert LLP. The seminar explored the key considerations for boards of directors and management teams when developing a coordinated litigation strategy across multiple jurisdictions in response to a corporate crisis.

Our firm hosted the third meeting of the ACC Compliance Forum, which focuses on compliance during enforcement procedures. At the meeting, we welcomed Yehuda Shaffer, Deputy State Attorney (Financial Crimes).

Our firm served along with US attorneys as counsel for Lee Elbaz, the CEO of Yukom Communications, in her criminal trial in the United States. Lee was convicted of binary options fraud in August and sentenced last week. We were interviewed by media following the sentencing in a Maryland federal court, noting that "the degree of harshness in US prosecutorial policies and in sentences for economic offenses is infinitely higher than in Israel."

Our firm hosted a meetup for the Israeli fintech community in collaboration with Fintech Fever and the Singapore Fintech Association. We lectured on current regulation, as well as challenges and opportunities in the field.

Our firm represented Sartorius, a leading multinational corporation in the life science, research and development, and biopharmaceutical industry, in a transaction to acquire a majority stake in the Israeli cell culture developer Biological Industries. Sartorius acquired the majority of Biological Industries shares by way of secondary purchase of shares from the Development Company of Kibbutz Beit Haemek and private equity fund Fortissimo Capital, in consideration for USD 50 million. In addition, as part of the transaction, Sartorius and the Development Company of Kibbutz Beit Haemek signed an option to purchase/sell additional holdings in the future.

Our firm hosted together with the crowdfunding platform Pipelbiz a meetup for real estate entrepreneurs. We lectured on raising capital for real estate projects through crowdfunding platforms, as well as real estate financing options, preconditions to raising money through a crowdfunding intermediary, and borrowing and investment disabilities.

Our firm was interviewed by Globes on the Urban Renewal Authority's latest initiative to limit the addition of space in the apartments of pinui-binui projects to 12 square meters. We explained that this reduction represents another decrease in entrepreneurs' profit, thus jeopardizing the promotion of projects in this field.

Our office hosted today an event on urban renewal. The event dealt with the 2019 review of the field and projections for 2020. We also hosted the chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority and held an expert panel.

We lectured today before compliance officers at the BDO Finance Academy. The lecture dealt with the internal enforcement of securities laws, the enforcement revolution by the Israel Securities Authority, and the need to formulate an effective internal enforcement program.

We moderated the mayoral panel at the Israel Builders Association Conference. Participating in the panel were the mayor of Eilat, the mayor of Yehud-Monosson, the co-CEO of Shalom Et Nathan, and the chairman of the Israel Builders Association.

Our firm is representing private clients in a lawsuit against the liquidating company of the Bank of North America (disbanded in 1985), as well as against the administrator general and official receiver. The lawsuit concerns trust funds deposited in the bank by the deceased father of the family. The clients are represented by Adv. Zohar Lande and Adv. Shachar Rothschild of our Litigation Department.

Our firm continues to represent Amir Waldman, who was charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading in connection with Intel's acquisition of Mobileye. The proceedings are pending before a federal court in New York.

Partners from our Capital Markets Department lectured on administrative enforcement in Israel during a seminar organized by EY on fraud and scam risk management. During the lecture, we presented how an organization should handle a crisis when an investigation has already begun and also discussed the importance of having organized enforcement programs.

We lectured today on the risks of financial crime as part of a risk management course at the Israel Financial Institute.

Together with Clifford Chance, we held a workshop for compliance officers and risk management department staff at Discount Bank and Bank Leumi. The workshop included discussions on money laundering enforcement trends, banks' obligations, and how to manage risk and provide service.

Our firm hosted the Israel Hedge Funds Association today for a negotiation workshop. The workshop was held in collaboration with Moti Crystal, a crisis management expert. As part of the workshop, we presented common mistakes and the techniques for overcoming them in M&A transactions and disputes.

We were interviewed by TheMarker on the allegations that SodaStream's chairman, while serving as CEO, provided insider information about a deal with Pepsico to a former employee.

In a Globes op-ed, Adv. Anat Even-Chen calls for cooperation between the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority and the private market in order to create better regulation for fintech and financial services companies.

An op-ed in TheMarker discussing the market's need to share in enforcement efforts to help make internal enforcement one of the cornerstones of ISA policy.

The second meeting of the Compliance Forum, held in collaboration with ACC Israel, will focus on the basic principles and standards required for formulating an enforcement plan, the challenges of implementing such a plan, and how compliance officers should act.

The Administrative Enforcement Committee of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) approved an administrative enforcement agreement between the ISA, Kitov Pharma Ltd., and a few of its officers. According to the agreement, which concludes the criminal investigation by the ISA, the company and its officers will pay a monetary sanction. Our firm represented the company and its CEO in the process.

Our firm continues to represent Maurice Haliwa, a shareholder in Manor A.D. Construction Investments Ltd., in a lawsuit against Jacky Ben-Zaken and Avraam Nanikashvili. Haliwa recently increased the amount of the original lawsuit from ILS 18 million to ILS 100 million. Adv. Zohar Lande and Adv. Yatir Madar represent the client.

Our firm represented the Danish catering and cleaning services company ISS Global in the disposition of all its holdings in Israel. ISS was advised by Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Yuval Lazi, Adv. Danny Boguslavsky, and Adv. Chen Nadir.

We were interviewed by the radio station Kol Israel Reshet Bet on how to manage investment portfolios for friends and family. Capital market professionals must be careful, since managing an investment portfolio requires a license. Even when advising family and friends, professionals are subject to duties and may be exposed to risks and claims. (Starting at 03:10.)

An op-ed in Law360 discusses the SEC's treatment of two recent events—the federal suit against Kik Interactive and Facebook's announcement on the launch of a new digital currency.

Our firm is representing Eva Fashion in a dispute with Ilan Bioculture, a cannabis plants company seeking to cancel the investment agreement it signed with Eva Fashion. 

Our firm was interviewed by TheMarker following publication that a group of apartment purchasers in the exclusive Blue project submitted a claim against Canada Israel. We explained more about purchasing groups and noted that "those who join purchasing groups become entrepreneurs together with the other group members and, as a result, are dependent on the management of the group. The group members have no final price for the apartment, there is no final date for occupancy, and there are no guarantees for the money that they pay. It is important to remember that despite the possibility of large savings in the value of the future apartment, which sometimes reaches 20%, there are many projects managed incorrectly and that sometimes even cost the group more money than they would pay if they were buying an apartment directly from a contractor."

Our firm is representing the Chinese investment fund Neng Yang in its USD 35 million acquisition of Advanced Dicing Technologies Ltd. (ADT), an Israel-based electronics dicing equipment company. 

Our firm represented the private equity group Bridgepoint in the approximately USD 420 million acquisition of the Israeli software testing company Qualitest from Marlin Equity Partners.

Adv. Anat Even-Chen lectured to members of "The Library," the Tel Aviv Municipality's urban innovation space. The lecture focused on the Israel Innovation Authority's (IIA) grant programs and the various considerations entrepreneurs must take into account before applying for a grant from the IIA.

Our firm was interviewed by Globes about a pinui-binui project in Kiryat Yovel, Jerusalem, some of whose residents we were representing. Residents of the middle building objected to the plan before the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee, which eventually decided to exclude this particular building from the project. Our firm noted that this decision proves it is possible to make flexible plans and exclude buildings with objections while still otherwise approving pinui-binui plans.

Adv. Anat Even-Chen, a partner and our regulation expert, published an op-ed in Globes describing the advancement of the payments market in Israel and its opening up to competition. This move requires courageous measures by regulators—the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority and the Bank of Israel.

The Planning Administration revealed that the deadline for the completion of the TAMA 38 plan is May 2020. As expets in the field, our firm was interviewed by TheMarker on the matter. We noted that the Planning Administration's announcement entangles an entire industry built on the basis of TAMA 38, and projects that invested hundreds of hours of work and hundreds of thousands of shekels will be left orphaned and unable to implement.

Adv. Inon Yogev, a partner in our Infrastructure and Project Finance Department, lectured today as part of a seminar on the establishment of P.F.I projects in the defense sector. In attendance were senior officials from the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces.

Our firm hosted an event in cooperation with the Israeli Investor Relations Forum on investor relations and corporate responsibility. We lectured on how corporate responsibility is perceived by regulators.

Max, of Leumi Card, and Pipelbiz, the first and largest equity crowdfunding platform in Israel, have launched a new program for entrepreneurs. Program members include both fintech and insuretech startups. Our firm was chosen to serve as the initiative's legal partner. The startups recently visited our firm, where we lectured about crowdfunding regulation in Israel and abroad, as well as about challenges and opportunities in this field.

Our firm represented Axcel in the acquisition of Phase One from Silverfleet Capital. Axcel is a leading Nordic private equity firm focusing on mid-market companies, with a broad base of both Nordic and international investors.

Our Real Estate Department is representing the entrepreneurs and some of the residents in a pinui-binui project on Hagdud Haivri St. in Givat Olga, Hadera.

We led a panel on the legal advisor as a legal crisis facilitator at the annual conference of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel. Present at the conference were outgoing Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and other senior legal officials.

Our firm represented the Singapore-based venture capital fund VisVires New Protein (VVNP) in an investment round in Aleph Farms, an Israeli food-tech startup.

Our firm is representing the Tel Aviv Taxi Organization in an administrative petition filed against after its win in the Tel Aviv cluster of a two-stage competitive process conducted by the Ministry of Transport. The organization is represented by Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Adi Shoham of the Litigation Department.

We conducted a negotiation workshop today for members of the Modi'in City Council, as part of the Open University's directors' course.

We lectured today to Modi'in City Council members on capital markets enforcement and the role of boards of directors in formulating an internal enforcement plan. The lecture was part of the Open University's directors' course.

Our firm hosted the Israel's Directors Union for a seminar on the prevention of bribery and corruption. We lectured on the duties of boards of directors in Israel and also presented the US perspective.

We are holding a seminar on insider information following several recent Israel Securities Authority investigations of senior officials in public companies. The seminar will feature discussions on the use of insider information, how to carry out internal enforcement, and the legal implications of an open investigation of an officer and his company. The event is geared to CEOs, VPs, and CFOs of public companies.

Our firm is representing Knight Therapeutics, a Canadian public company that holds 28% of Israeli pharmaceutical company Medison's shares, in a lawsuit alleging the deprivation of its rights as a minority shareholder in Medison. The company is represented by Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Omer Keydar from our Litigation Department.

Adv. Anat Even-Chen, our regulatory expert, was interviewed by TheMarker on the growing reliance on phone numbers as a means of identity verification, a phenomenon that raises the risks associated with information security and privacy. "In order to give access to certain sensitivity actions, a person is required to verify that he is the one who should have access, by three factors," explains Anat, "something you know (password for example), something you have (like a telephone), and something that is part of you (biometric finger identity, for example). Israeli financial entities will not invest in this sector without pressure from the regulator—pressure that currently does not exist. "

We lectured today at the College of Law and Business on exposure to administrative and criminal liability.

Our firm represented Exclusive Networks in its acquisition of 70% of the shares of Israeli company Securewave Ltd, one of Israel’s leading independent cybersecurity VADs.

Adv. Ariel Nadler was interviewed by Guy Liberman, the editor of Globes' real estate section, about the Director-General of the Planning Administration's initiative to cancel building easements.

Adv. Ariel Nadler was interviewed by Calcalist following notice of the Planning Administration's intent to bring to the government's approval a proposal to cancel building easements.

We lectured today on regulation's impact as part of a new investor relations course. The course was launched by the Israeli Investor Relations Forum of the Association of Publicly Traded Companies in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

We participated in a panel discussion as part of a new investor relations course. The course was launched by the Israeli Investor Relations Forum of the Association of Publicly Traded Companies in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Our firm represented Eldav Investments, a shareholder in i-Jump, in a dispute with the network's other shareholders.

Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Omer Keydar of the firm's Litigation Department continue to represent the businessman Eyal Shamir in a lawsuit against British Israel. Shamir claims he was not paid a brokerage fee for the merger between British Israel and Melisron.

We hosted the Israeli Directors' Union for a seminar on corporate finance, where we lectured on capital raising in the US and Israel.

Join Barnea and Baker Mckenzie for an expert discussion on how best to participate in blockchain/ICO technological innovation in light of the latest global regulatory trends.

An op-ed in Globes suggests that the Singaporean model of a blockchain integrated platform as a solution that does not require legislative changes. It argues this model could replace the stalled initiative of the ISA to establish a secondary stock exchange for small and medium-sized companies.

TheMarker named the Supreme Court's ruling on the Knesset Channel tender as one of the five most important verdicts of 2018. According to TheMarker, the ruling provides a glimpse into the Court's attitude to the media. Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, Adv. Adi Shoham, and Adv. Omer Keydar of the firm's Litigation Department represented RGE Knesset Channel, which won the tender.

Our firm represented Rafi Bar-Lev in a hearing before the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office. The DA's Office was considering filing an indictment against Bar-Lev for fraudulent receipt, but instead chose to close the case against him.

Our firm's Capital Markets Department contributed to the Chambers and Partners anti-corruption guide, which provides expert legal commentary on key issues for businesses.

Our firm represented INGL during the negotiation and conclusion of an MoU for the construction by Energean of an offshore dry gas pipeline from the Karish and Tanin fields to the Israeli shore. The pipeline is expected to be transferred to INGL in the beginning of 2021.

Adv. Daniel Lorber, the head of our firm's equity incentives practice, was interviewed by Globes on the Israel Tax Authority's latest decision. Instead of a capital gains tax rate of 25% on options granted to employees for exercise in the event of an exit or issue, the proceeds from such exercise will now be considered labor income, and therefore the tax liability may rise to 50%.

Barnea and Friedman Kaplan hosted a workshop for participants from the Israel Hedge Funds Association. We gave a lecture entitled "International Enforcement: Being in Israel Does Not Keep the SEC Away."

As part of the firm's activity at IBM Alpha zone, Adv. Daniel Lorber participated today in the IBM Alpha Zone Class #7 Demo Day and Class #8 Kickoff.

Our firm represented Senetas Corporation in a USD 8 million investment in the Israeli cyber company Votiro Cybersec Global Limited.

As counsel for one of the executives, we responded to Calcalist's questions.

Adv. Anat Even-Chen was interviewed by Bloomberg BNA following the implementation of new rules regarding the licensing of IIA-funded know-how for use by multinational corporations outside of Israel.

Barnea and SPB hosted a seminar today on the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. We provided an overview of the key legal aspects in Israel.

Barnea and BCLP hosted a seminar on cross-border anti-corruption investigations. Partners from our Capital Markets Department presented the issue from the Israeli perspective.

We answer a series of questions from Mako about the right of workers to unionize in the workplace.

Adv. Ariel Nadler, head of the Real Estate Department, was interviewed on a financial radio program at the Public Broadcasting Corporation about the possibility of property owners and sub-tenants renting out apartments for the duration of the Eurovision Song Contest (starting at min. 44).

Adv. Ariel Nadler was interviewed by CalcalistTV on the decision by the Supervisor of Land Registration at the Ministry of Justice to forbid an apartment owner in a building in Tel Aviv from using his apartment for short-terms rentals (Airbnb, Booking).

Our firm participated in the selection process for the 8^th class of the IBM Alpha Zone accelerator.

Read an op-ed in Globes on the Nochi Dankner and Elon Musk affairs and the differences in enforcement culture between the US and Israeli systems.

Join Barnea and BCLP for a seminar on cross-border anti-corruption investigations.

Our firm is representing the Czech company TI Group Automotive Systems SRO in a EUR 4.5 million lawsuit against Raval ACS Ltd. The lawsuit stems from a valve failure that resulted in the recall and repair of 250 thousand Mercedes cars.

Join Barnea and Squire Patton Boggs for a free training session on the issue of defending against sexual harassment in the workplace and receive an overview of the key legal and practical issues in the UK, the US, and Israel.

Adv. Marie Tsion is featured in Mamon, Yedioth Ahronoth's financial supplement, on how to determine a policy for the scope of working from home.

Adv. Daniel Israeli was interviewed by Calcalist following the SEC's decision to fine an unregistered crypto broker-dealer and its owners.

An article in Globes about the changing financial regulation in the US around crypto coins.

Today, Barnea and ACC Israel hosted a seminar on shareholder activism. Adv. Micky Barnea discussed activism in Israeli companies. Also presenting were Elchanan (Nani) Maoz from Everest Fund and Steve Wolosky from Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP.

We were interviewed by TheMarker on Bitcoin's energy consumption, noting that this is a meeting point between the real economy and the new economy that Bitcoin represents.

Our Employment Department was interviewed by the radio station Kol Israel Reshet Bet on how an organization should conduct itself when workers want to form a union (starting at 35:30).

Our firm represented the Israeli startup Visual Estate in its recent round of financing by private investors. Visual Estate is an SaaS platform that allows you to turn any floor plan into a fully immersive VR experience.

We were interviewed by the newspaper Israel Hayom and the radio station Kol Israel Reshet Bet following the Supreme Court's decision to increase the sentence of Israeli businessman Nochi Dankner. Dankner was previously convicted of securities fraud.

Join Barnea and ACC Israel for a seminar on shareholder activism. During the seminar we will examine activism in Israeli companies and the courtroom, while comparing the US and Israeli markets.

Adv. Asaf Shalev was interviewed by TheMarker regarding the Consumer Protection Authority's new directive, according to which companies and business owners who operate a store or a website will be required to specify in a prominent and visible location which areas they refuse to provide their services to.  

The Supreme Court rejected the petitions of News 2 and Channel 20 against the decision to announce RGE as the winner of the Knesset channel tender. This paves the way for the operation of the Knesset channel by RGE as early as August 1, 2018. RGE was represented by Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Adi Shoham, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Omer Keydar of our firm's Litigation Department.

We lectured today on the legal aspects of the offshore process for Israeli companies at a meetup of the Israeli Society for Human Resource Management.

Barnea hosted, together with the Ministry of Economy, a workshop on the corporate and labor laws relevant to officers of Israeli subsidiaries of multinational companies.

Adv. Lee Alter Kizis of the Employment Department published an op-ed in Mako about consensual personal relationships in the workplace.

We lectured today to startups and VCs on the regulatory challenges faced by fintech companies.

Adv. Marie Tsion, the head of our Employment Department, lectured today, as part of a professional training course for HR professionals, on various labor law issues relating to high-tech companies and startups.

Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Omer Keydar from our Litigation Department are representing businessman Eyal Shamir in a lawsuit against British Israel Investments, which is owned by Melisron Ltd. Shamir alleges he was not paid a brokerage fee for the merger between the two companies.

Barnea advised an investor on a USD 60 million investment in  Claroty, an Israeli company that specializes in cybersecurity for industrial control networks.

We lectured at the Israel Hedge Funds Association's Sixth Annual Tel Aviv Conference. The goal of the event is to connect local industry with overseas peers, bringing together professional experts, manages, and investors. We discussed how fund managers can benefit from their relationship with the exchange.

Our firm's Capital Markets Department contributed to the Israel chapter of the 2018 edition of The International Comparative Legal Guide to Anti-Money Laundering. The chapter discusses issues of enforcement and regulation to prevent money laundering in Israel.

The Cable and Satellite Council awarded RGE Group with the tender to operate the Knesset Channel for the next 10 years. RGE is represented by Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Adi Shoham, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Omer Keydar of our firm's Litigation Department.

Adv. Anat Even-Chen gave several media interviews (in Hebrew) following the Knesset Finance Committee's decision to postpone the entry into force of the Financial Services Law. This law was supposed to regulate the trading of digital currencies for the first time.

Today, Barnea and Bird & Bird are hosting a seminar on the protection of trade secrets from the Israeli and European perspectives. We will discuss confidentiality and non-compete clauses in employment agreements.

We were interviewed by Bloomberg BNA regarding a new bill, according to which anyone who sells his apartment is entitled to open a special investment account that will benefit from deferring payment of tax on capital gains.

Our firm is representing Yad Hanna in a long-term lease agreement of 30 dunams in its industrial zone for the construction of Diplomat's new logistics center. The construction is valued at ILS 230 million.

We attended the iFX Expo International Conference and participated in the panel on regulation, discussing MIFID II, ESMA restrictions, and the blockchain and cryptocurrency revolution.

An Israeli court has ordered to halt an investment deal in Arcturus Therapeutics, pending clarification of the lawsuit filed by Joseph Payne, the company's founder, regarding the cancellation of his dismissal as CEO. This decision was made despite the fact that the company operates in the United States with US management. Joseph Payne is represented by Adv. Micky Barnea, Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Omer Keydar, and Adv. Ron Shuhatovich.

We hosted, together with the Association of Corporate Counsel, a seminar on compliance and internal investigations. We discussed new regulatory challenges, while managing directors from Duff & Phelps addressed the changing compliance environment.

We lectured today on economic enforcement at the IZUN - Jewish and Arab Influential Directors program, part of Jasmine, a nonprofit that promotes businesses owned by Jewish and Arab women.

Our firm is representing British private equity firm Ethemba Capital in its ILS 1.7 billion sale of control in Israeli company Avgol Nonwoven Industries Ltd. to Indorama Ventures Spain S.L., a chemical manufacturer whose shares are traded on the Thai stock exchange. 

Barnea represented the US underwriter H.C. Wainwright Co., LLC in the public offering issued by Check-Cap Ltd. via a prospectus on NASDAQ. Check-Cap Ltd. raised USD 20.2 million in gross proceeds, including in the exercise of an overallotment option, in shares and warrants. Check-Cap Ltd., an Israeli clinical-stage medical diagnostics company, is developing C-Scan®, a capsule-based system for preparation-free colorectal cancer screening.

Barnea represented ADM Capital, a UK-based investment fund, in an investment round in the Israeli plant-breeding startup Rootility.

Adv. Asaf Shalev was interviewed by Mamon, Yediot Ahronot's financial supplement, about the new privacy and information security regulation taking effect in Israel today. This regulation sets a new standard for the protection of personal information in databases.

Our firm represented International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) in its USD 7.1 billion acquisition of Frutarom, the Israeli flavors and ingredients maker.

We were interviewed by TheMarker following a petition we submitted on ADR's behalf to the District Court (Economic Division) over the Israel Securities Authority's decision requiring the company to publish a prospectus. ADR offers the public a unique investment channel: insurance policies of older American citizens.

Our firm is hosting today the participants of Taasiyeda, an education program founded by the Manufacturers Association of Israel, for a seminar on founders' agreements, IP, and tax issues.

Our firm represented Greenyard Fresh, a global market leader of fresh, frozen, and prepared fruits and vegetables, in the acquisition of 49% of Mor International.

Barnea and Nixon Peabody LLP hosted a roundtable discussion on the current enforcement environment, future trends, and strategies to succeed in the US while skirting legal and regulatory challenges.

Adv. Anat Even-Chen was interviewed by several local newspapers following the investigation of Apple Israel's CEO by the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority. It is suspected that Apple Israel did not disclose material information to consumers about the slowdown in updated versions of its cellular phones.

Adv. Daniel Lorber was interviewed by Digital Health Legal following an announcement on the launch of a big data health project in Israel.

Our firm represented Cellebrite in the sale of the Mobilogy Division to the US ESW Capital Fund. The Mobilogy division, which operates as a separate brand, offers technological solutions for operators, retailers, and aftermarket that enhance the customer experience in-store and beyond.

Adv. Marie Tsion, the head of our firm's Employment Department and the point person for interns, shares a few insights on how to have a successful interview.

With experts in the fintech industry, we were interviewed by TheMarker on the various regulatory barriers thwarting fintech's growth in Israel.

An op-ed in Calcalist on the role of the regulator in the virtual currencies market and why 2018 will be a turning point.

We were interviewed by Ynet News about the recent developments in the investigation against Bezeq.

Adv. Daniel Israeli, an associate in our Capital Markets Department, wrote an op-ed for TheMarker on the need to create an appropriate regulatory framework for the issuance of digital currencies.

Our firm was featured in a legal survey conducted by the Israeli Blockchain Association on current trends in blockchain in Israel.

Our firm is hosting the Israeli Directors' Union for a seminar on data protection and privacy. We will discuss the new European privacy regulations (GDPR) and directors' exposure in the age of privacy.

Partners from our Employment Department are participating today in a training program held by the People Management Association. They will lecture on legal issues in the recruiting process.

Roni Lish, the minority shareholder in the franchise company of the French culinary brand Fauchon, is suing his partner in the franchise. Roni claims his partner acted to reduce the value of the company in order to control it and to remove him from the company. Roni Lish is represented by Adv. Zohar Lande and Adv. Gilli Cohen-Arazi of our firm's Litigation Department.

The High Court of Justice issued a temporary order that the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council should explain why it did not announce RGE as the winner of the tender for the operation of the Knesset Channel, following the disqualification of Channel 20's offer. RGE is represented by Adv. Zohar Lande, Adv. Ronen Reingold, Adv. Adi Shoham, and Adv. Itay Hatam of our firm's Litigation Department.

An article in Financial Magnates discusses the Israel Securities Authority's approach to initial coin offerings (ICO) and cryptocurrencies and how this approach compares to other jurisdictions.

An interview following the Ministry of Economy and Industry's recently published draft bill placing restrictions on telemarketing.

Our firm gave several media interviews following the Israel Securities Authority Chairman's remarks that companies whose values are based on bitcoin will not be included in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange's (TASE) indices until a suitable regulatory framework is established. We noted that it is important to distinguish between the inclusion of companies engaged in trading and investing in virtual currencies on TASE's indices and the possibility that such companies will actually be traded on TASE.

Our firm represented Guy Aharonovski in a lawsuit against his former partner in CoinDash, a platform for managing investments in cryptographic currencies. Aharonovski is claiming his former partner disqualified him from his share in the company, founded Queen-Dash behind his back, and issued tokens called CDT that enabled the use of the platform provided by the company.

We represented Israeli startup EXO Technologies, a developer of GPS technology for autonomous and connected vehicle applications, in its acquisition by the US corporation Lear.

Adv. Ariel Nadler, head of our firm's Real Estate Department, was interviewed by TheMarker's real estate magazine on the cancellation of the Multiple Housing Taxation Law by the Supreme Court. Ariel commented that regulators will now have to provide a solution to those people who already sold their apartments in order to enjoy the tax benefit that was guaranteed. He also noted that the cancellation will affect apartment owners considering to sell.

We took part in a conference hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors, where we addressed how internal investigations function as an essential tool in corporate governance.

Barnea hosted a seminar with the Israel Hedge Funds Association addressing the regulatory challenges when establishing and managing a hedge fund. As part of the seminar, a partner from Harneys discussed establishing offshore hedge funds in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Barnea hosted, together with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and the Israel Builders Association, a seminar for real estate and infrastructure companies exploring a potential IPO. We discussed IPO from the perspective of a regulator.

We were interviewed on the TV program London et Kirshenbaum about the investigation against Bezeq, where we noted that the Israel Securities Authority has invested considerable efforts in completing the investigation quickly because of the case's broad public implications (starting from 05:40).

The head of our firm's Employment Department was invited to take part in the Human Resources Conference of the North. She will lecture on the proper procedure for dismissing employees.

The Israeli CEO of a binary options company has been arrested by federal investigators in the United States on suspicion of electronic fraud. We are representing the company in this matter. In an interview with TheMarker, we noted this is a relatively early stage in the legal process and that an indictment has not yet been filed.

We participated in the EY Anti-Fraud Forum, where we discussed how workers can take an active role in self-regulation and compliance.

Adv. Marie Tsion, head of the firm's Employment Department, will lecture today at the Human Resources Forum of the North on legal issues related to job acceptance: evaluation centers, refusals, and the law for the prevention of discrimination.

We were interviewed by TheMarker on who owns the Facebook page of a popular TV program—the host or the network—and asserted that all intellectual property created by a worker in the framework of the workplace belongs to the employer.

An op-ed in The Marker on the regulation of digital currencies asserts that there will be no choice but to build a unique regulatory model that matches the characteristics of these new financial instruments.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently filed a lawsuit in a US court against an Israeli citizen and an American citizen for the use of insider information to acquire shares and options at Mobileye. The lawsuit alleges that Mobileye's founders supplied information about the huge deal being forged between it and Intel. Our firm was interviewed by TheMarker about the lawsuit, and we noted the differences between the enforcement process in Israel and the US and the relationship between civil enforcement by the SEC and criminal enforcement by federal prosecution.

Adv. Daniel Israeli was interviewed by TheMarker after the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced it would begin regulating the issuance of virtual currencies (ICO). Daniel noted that Singapore has developed into a destination of sorts for ICOs, and thus the MAS' decision will certainly change the rules of the game.

An article in TheMarker explores youth employment during summer vacation.

Barnea represented Avgol in the sale of its rights in the Barkan plant for ILS 52.5 million. Avgol is in the process of transfering its production center in Israel to Dimona.

Adv. Asaf Shalev will lecture today on founders' agreements and IP at the Entrepreneurship Course of StarTAU, Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center.

Adv. Daniel Lorber will serve today as a judge at the demo day of the BEE program, part of the Tel Aviv University entrepreneurship center.

We were interviewed on a Public Broadcasting Corporation financial radio program about the Bezeq investigation, where we provided an explanation of the Israel Securities Authority process (from 12.06).

We were interviewed on "Where Is the Money," a program on the 103FM radio station, following the investigation launched by the Israel Securities Authority against Bezeq, its controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch, and senior officers on suspicion of offenses under the Securities Law. We explained the meaning of related-party transactions in a company (from 11.38).

We were interviewed on a daily Channel 2 News program focusing on economic and consumer matters following the investigation opened by the Israel Securities Authority against Bezeq. During the interview, we explained the ISA's allegations and its reason for initiating the investigation.

Barnea is representing Africa Israel Europe in the establishment of a new commercial and residential project in Serbia called "Skyline Belgrade" at an estimated cost of EUR 200 million.

Adv. Ronit Ofir, a partner in the Litigation Department, was appointed as a judge to the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court. Ronit joined our firm in 2010 and has extensive experience representing both Israeli and international companies in complex litigation cases before the District Court and Supreme Court, as well as in arbitration proceedings.

The Haifa District Court ruled that Gad Zeevi would have to pay businessman Zeev Rom USD 1.5 million in brokerage fees in respect of a deal in which Zeevi acquired 20% of Bezeq in 2000. Adv. Zohar Lande and Adv. Moran Bickel from the Litigation Department represented Zeev Rom.

Adv. Karin Kashi publishes an article in "People and Computers" about the changes that startups need to make in relation to their privacy aspects and the expected impact on merger and acquisition deals.