Insights & News

The increased use of technology in the workplace has created new concerns for both employers and employees in the area of privacy. Do Employers have the right to monitor their employees? Read more.

World Tax, the International guide to the world's leading tax firms, recognized Barnea as a recommended tax firm in Israel.

This has not gone unnoticed by foreign multinational companies. A study by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics shows that 63% of all investments in R&D centers in Israel come from international technology companies operating in Israel.
More than 67% of all employees in R&D centers in Israel are employed by foreign companies who have established research centers, such as Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, HP and more. Such companies employ no less than 34.3 thousand employees in R&D, with an annual increase of 2%.

The presence of these corporate giants in Israel is growing, as many more companies understand the benefits and success they could have by placing their R&D centers in the hotbed of innovation and invention.

These outstanding figures are irritating to some, as the growth in the R&D centers gives the foreign companies firstbid at breakthrough technologies.

Science, Technology, and Space Minister Yaakov Peri went as far as saying that “Israel’s economy relies heavily on funding from other countriesfor research and development…this is a fragile situation…in which the main beneficiaries of Israeli creativity are the multinational companies.”

But there’s another way to look at it. These centers are effectively nurturing the best and the brightest, training them and serving as incubators for budding entrepreneurs. Many of these employees leave the multinational companies ready to start their own start-ups, armed with the considerable skillset, knowledge, and experience acquired at these R&D centers.

Furthermore, having foreign R&D centers and multinationals in Israel has proven to be a source for creating jobs, spawning new business and contributing to economic output.

 

 

 

The international IFLR 1000 ranking guide recognized the expertise of Barnea in Mergers and Acquisitions and Project Finance. In addition, Simon Jaffa is recognized as a 'leader in his field'. 

The directory noted that “Barnea has always delivered excellent work. They have a profound understanding of our company's needs and expectations, and do it in an efficient, expedient, cost-effective manner. Their knowledge of the local market is a plus, and they are always a pleasure to work with.”

The initiative to apply 0% VAT for first-time homebuyers will be a temporary ordinance for seven years. The leading newspaper Globes described the legal effects of this and interviewed senior lawyer, Liat Keisary Yahalomi.

In recent years many kibbutz enterprises have grown from small manufacturers to international corporations. Echad Ha'am  magazine, by Globes, held a roundtable with six experts to discuss the latest changes and developments in the kibbutz sector. (attached, p.21)

The firm welcomes Adv. Ezra Katzen , a new partner in the technology department, Adv.  Daniel Lorber and Adv.  Mayer Winkler that will work in the firm’s commercial department.

This year’s summary of Maariv puts the spotlight on key legal developments in Israel, covering the following topics: Capital Markets (by Micky Barnea); Anti-Trust (by Zohar Lande); Constitutional Law; Criminal Law nfrastructure ; Tax and Money laudering

Ezra Katzen was the featured speaker at a meeting of the mentoring group of OurCrowd.  Ezra spoke about director liability in a talk entitled “Board Oversight: Oversee, Don’t Overlook”

An Israeli District Court ruled last week  that advertisements posted on websites as the result of the use of services provided by Google do not constitute spam according to the Israeli anti-spam law. For the full article, refer to PDF below.

Global Invacom Group Ltd.  of the United Kingdom entered into an agreement to acquire OnePath Networks Ltd. of Bet Shemesh, Israel. Barnea represented Global Invacom in the transaction.

The Israeli winner of the competition, BreezoMeter, was invented to make air pollution visible. Using real time big data analysis BreezoMeter presents air quality information at street level resolution. (Picture)

BreezoMeter ran in the finals in front of six other companies, and will automatically enter the list of the World's Top 50 Most Promising Startups, known as the GEW50.

The final competition was held in Jerusalem, in the presence of Jerusalem MayorNir Barkat, investment entities, entrepreneurs, startups, high-tech executives.
Michael Barnea, Managing Partner from Barnea & Co, said, "I am delighted at the opportunity Barnea has had to take part in this special event. With our experience in working with entrepreneurs in all phases of incorporation, raising capital and launching technology and life science startups, we were able to contribute is considering and selecting the contestants in the competition. Thus we were able to allow the next generation of entrepreneurs theopportunity to present their ideas and receive international exposure".

StartUp Open was originally launched as part of the Kauffman Foundation in 2010 and is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. It is the world's largest competitions for startup companies, boosting participation from over 30 countries.

Since its enactment in 1959, the law for the Encouragement of Capital Investment is one of the most significant and meaningful means for the growth and development of the Israeli economy and its industry.

Further to the request of the Canadian businessman, Mr. Edwin (Benni) Tisch, businesswoman Hanna Gertler will testify in the Whitewater trial, in accordance with the decision of Justice Ruth Ronen, of the Economic Department of the District Court in Tel Aviv. Tisch claims that Whitewater and Yogev made false representations and acted fraudulently, causing Tisch to invest millions in Whitewater Holdings. Whitewater Holdings is in receivership and creditors are owed approximately NIS 19 million. To read more, please click here

The seminar, organized by ESOP-Excellence and Startau, included in depth lectures on employee options plans. Ezra lectured on practical problems in administering options plans based on his many years of experience as general counsel to technology companies.

Start up open final event will take place on September 22nd , 2014 in Jerusalem.  This competition provided start-ups, in their early stages, a chance to develop their ideas and present them to entrepreneurs and judges.

Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid and his German counterpart, Wolfgang Schäuble, signed a revised tax treaty in Berlin on August 21, 2014. The convention, which was last amended in 1977, has been adapted to make it correspond to modern international tax law and current economic relations between Israel and Germany.

Israel’s conflict with Hamas-controlled Gaza is escalating. The conflict broke out on July 8, when Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" in response to Hamas launching rockets toward Israel. Is this still a place where lawyers can do international business?

 

In the last interviews on the radio given by Micky Barnea, he stated that the Israeli high tech hasn't been influenced significantly by the recent event. Listen to the full interview at Galatz.

Barnea represented Spirent Communications PLC., a leading communications technology company, traded on the London Stock Exchange, and its Israel subsidiary, in the purchase of Radvision’s and Avaya’s Technology Business Unit for approximately USD 25 million.