The Real Estate Department, headed by Adv. Ariel Nadler, represented Israel Natural Gas Lines in a petition brought against it by Kibbutz Regavim. The judge dismissed the petition, finding no grounds to intervene in the government’s decision. She noted that the kibbutz should have withdrawn its petition once the safety concerns had been resolved. The kibbutz was ordered to pay costs of ILS 4 million.

Adv. Micky Barnea was invited to lead the high-tech panel at Israel’s second annual Foreign Law Firms Conference in recognition of his expertise in the technology sector. Titled "Startup Nation vs. Exit Nation," the panel will explore the impact of Israel’s startup ecosystem on its legal landscape, current trends in high-tech exit transactions and IPOs, and collaboration between Israeli and foreign law firms on high-tech legal matters.

Adv. Ezra Katzen was a featured speaker at the November meeting of the Israeli Association of Corporate Counsel. In his address, "The General Counsel: The Most Important Link in the Options Chain," Ezra drew on his extensive experience as in-house counsel to discuss the legal and practical challenges of administering an employee stock option plan from an in-house lawyer’s perspective. Jointly sponsored by Barnea and ESOP-Excellence, the meeting was attended by general counsel and senior in-house lawyers from approximately 40 Israeli companies.

The head of our Internet Department was recognized as a leading practitioner in entertainment law in Israel by the 2014 edition of Who’s Who Legal, a leading international legal guide.

The Tel Aviv and Central District of the Israel Bar Association invites you to the second conference in Israel on the entry and activities of foreign law firms in the country. Adv. Michael Barnea, head of the Technology Department at Barnea, will lead the high-tech panel.

Calcalist published Adv. Zohar Lande's criticism of the Antitrust Authority’s conduct in the Israeli food market.

Global Invacom Group has completed its acquisition of Israel-based OnePath Networks. OnePath, which trades as Foxcom, is a pioneer in radio frequency over fiber technology. It provides products and services to major satellite operators, teleports, and broadcasters in more than 35 countries.

Barnea and the MIT Enterprise Forum of Israel are delighted to invite you to a seminar titled "Time to Startup! Follow the Challenging Road." The event will take place on November 19, 2014, from 16:30 to 20:15, at Tel Aviv University.

At a Knesset Finance Committee meeting on the high cost of living, Antitrust Commissioner Prof. David Gilo urged consumers to organize boycotts to pressure retailers and manufacturers to lower prices. He said: “An occasional boycott is not enough. Consumers need to undertake a personal boycott every day, to vote with their feet and compare competing prices.” Adv. Zohar Lande, senior partner at Barnea, disagreed. In an interview with Maariv, he said it was “both unfair and unwise to ask consumers to fix the high cost of living.”

Tax treaties aim to promote international trade by eliminating double taxation. Although the Israel Tax Authority and Israel’s Ministry of Finance have been reluctant to acknowledge a potential new tax treaty with Switzerland, the Swiss Finance Ministry has been more forthcoming. Swiss officials have confirmed that negotiations on the proposed treaty took place with the Israeli tax authorities in recent weeks.

The growing use of technology in the workplace has raised new privacy concerns for employers and employees alike. Do employers have the right to monitor their employees? Read more.

World Tax, an international guide to leading tax firms, recognized Barnea as a recommended tax firm in Israel.

Israel’s strengths have not gone unnoticed by multinational companies. A study by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics shows that international technology companies operating in Israel account for 63% of all investment in the country’s RD centers. Foreign companies that have established research centers in Israel, including Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and HP, employ more than 67% of the country’s RD center workforce. Together, they employ 34,300 RD staff, a figure that grows by 2% annually. The presence of these corporate giants in Israel continues to grow as more companies recognize the advantages of establishing RD centers in a thriving hub of innovation and invention. Yet this growth has also raised concerns, particularly that foreign companies gain first access to breakthrough technologies developed in Israel. Science, Technology, and Space Minister Yaakov Peri expressed this concern, saying that “Israel’s economy relies heavily on funding from other countries for research and development…this is a fragile situation…in which the main beneficiaries of Israeli creativity are the multinational companies.” There is, however, another way to view their role. These centers nurture and train talented professionals, serving as incubators for budding entrepreneurs. Many employees leave multinational companies to launch their own startups, equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experience gained at these RD centers. The presence of foreign RD centers and multinational companies in Israel also helps create jobs, generate new businesses, and contribute to the country’s economic output.

The international legal directory IFLR1000 recognized Barnea’s expertise in Mergers and Acquisitions and Project Finance. It also named Adv. Simon Jaffa a “leader in his field.” The directory featured the following client testimonial: “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 proposed 0% VAT measure for first-time homebuyers would remain in effect for seven years under a temporary ordinance. Leading business newspaper Globes examined its legal implications in an interview with Adv. Liat Keisary Yahalomi.

In recent years, many kibbutz enterprises have evolved from small manufacturers into international corporations. Globes brought together six experts for a roundtable discussion on the latest changes and developments in the kibbutz sector (p. 21).

The firm welcomes Adv. Ezra Katzen as a new partner in its Technology Department, along with Adv. Daniel Lorber and Adv. Mayer Winkler, who join the Commercial Department.