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Latest Updates / Corporate
January 12, 2016
Barnea & Co. advises Johnson & Johnson regarding its participation in a $28m investment round carried out by Israel's V-Wave
V-Wave, a privately held company with offices in Israel and the U.S., completed a Series B financing round in the sum of $28m.
The round was led by Johnson Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc. (represented by Barnea). Other participants were TriVentures, Pura Vida and BioStar Ventures. Eli and Nir Barkat's BRM fund, Pontifax and Edwards Lifesciences, which were already shareholders in V-Wave, also participated.
January 4, 2016
Finally, crowdfunding comes to Israel
Ariella Dreyfuss Adv. published an article in the leading legal English website "The Lawyer" discussing the new law in Israel relating to alternative means of raising funds. The goal of the law is to assist small Israeli companies in their efforts to raise funds through the social phenomena of crowdfunding, and the establishment of high-tech funds to be traded on a new index on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
January 3, 2016
Finally, Crowdfunding comes to Israel
The social phenomena of crowdfunding, adopted by high-tech startups as an alternative means to raise funds, was previously limited in Israel by Israel’s Securities Law. Section 15 of the law dictates that any offer or sale of shares to the public (i.e. to more than 35 potential investors) requires the issuance of a prospectus approved by the Securities Authority; a timely and costly endeavor, rendering crowdfunding prohibitive in Israel.
January 1, 2016
Barnea & Co. appoints new partners
Effective as of January 1, 2016, Barnea appointed 3 new partners: Ilan Blumenfeld who specializes in Antitrust laws, the Kibbutz sector and advising on corporate matters; Liat Keisary who specializes in advising private clients and on real estate law; and Ariella Dreyfuss who specializes in advising technology companies and on MA transactions.
December 24, 2015
Trends In The TMT Industry
The Technology, Media Telecommunications area is changing. We are now seeing new products, new services and innovation at a faster rate than ever before. The Israeli government identifies TMT as one of the most robust areas of the Israeli economy today and it encourages multinational companies to develop their IP within Israel. The government provides tax benefits, funds and grants to companies who develop their IP in Israel, under domestic and international programs, agreements, treaties and collaborations.
December 14, 2015
Founders’ agreement – in a nutshell
A founders’ agreement is the first encounter between entrepreneurs who are embarking on a joint venture to establish a successful start-up company. A founders’ agreement reflects the relationship between the entrepreneurs inter se and between each of them and the joint venture. The importance of this agreement should not be underestimated. This comprehensive agreement, which is tailored to the nature, needs and aspirations of each of the entrepreneurs, and particularly those of the new venture, provides a strong foundation for a healthy and successful company.
December 14, 2015
Israeli private and public companies may submit documents to the Companies’ registrar in English
In an article published in The Lawyer and Lexology, Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss and Adv. Asaf Shalev explain that a new draft bill, published at the beginning of the month, proposes that Israeli private and public companies should be able to submit documents to the Israeli Companies Registrar in English. The aim of the bill is to ease the process for foreign parties interested in investing in Israeli business and participating in Israel’s high tech story.
December 13, 2015
The Israeli Registrar of Companies now in English - Increasing Certainty
The State of Israel has two official languages – Hebrew and Arabic. As a result, in recent years the Israeli Companies Registrar has held that all documents submitted to the Registrar have to be submitted in either of these official languages. If a document was submitted in English it would be rejected. Such documents include the constitutional documents – the articles of association of Israeli companies and debentures creating pledges over the assets of such companies.
October 29, 2015
EU Court invalidates Safe Harbor Arrangement – repercussions for Israel
Recently, an official announcement was issued on behalf of the Law, Information and Technology Authority of the Israeli Ministry of Justice ("ILITA"), as a result of the ruling of the European Union’s Court of Justice invalidating the Safe Harbor Arrangement governing transfers of personal information from Europe to the United States – at this stage, the transfer of personal information from Israel to organizations in the United States on the basis of that arrangement is prohibited.
October 6, 2015
Barnea & Co. represented Bruker Nano
Barnea represented Bruker Nano, an American company, traded on Nasdaq, in its acquisition of Jordan Valley Semiconductors for $53m.
The acquisition uniquely positions Bruker to offer unmatched solutions for advanced problems in nanotechnology research and semiconductor metrology.
Adv. Simon Jaffa and Adv. Daniel Lorber represented the client.
September 2, 2015
New business in ancient lands
As an MA expert who is highly experienced in multi-jurisdictional transactions, Simon Jaffa was interviewed for the August edition of the China Business Law Journal. The article deals with China’s interests in the Middle East. Simon was selected by the Journal to represent Israel in its section on the Middle East on the strength of his prominence in Israel as an expert in the above field. To read the full article, please click here (p.109)
July 12, 2015
Barnea & Co represented Blender
Israeli startup Blender announced today that it had raised $5 million from Blumberg Capital. The company has raised $3.5 million since it was founded, not including the current round.
June 7, 2015
Johnson Matthey buys Israel packaging co StePac
StePac, which has developed and manufactured special packaging, has been sold to Johnson Matthey Investments for £18 million in cash by DS Smith, which owned all of StePac. Barnea represented DS Smith in the deal.
June 2, 2015
Tadiran to acquire Supergas
Tadiran Holdings Ltd., controlled by Moshe Mamrod, is acquiring the gas distributor, Supergas, from Granite Hacarmel, a unit of Azrieli Group Ltd., for NIS 250 million. Micky Barnea and Ilan Blumenfeld represent Granite Hacarmel.
April 22, 2015
Legal Business: Israel 2015
The Legal Business magazine has dedicated its April edition to Israel, with a focus on current topics and trends in the country. Michael Barnea and Simon Jaffa were interviewed regarding Chinese interest in doing business in Israel. "In some respects because of the geopolitical limitation, there is less competition for certain deals. Investors may not face as much competition as businesses in the US and UK," says Barnea.
March 11, 2015
Is it mandatory to publish an immediate report about negotiations regarding a potential transaction?
Recently, Judge Ruth Ronen of the Economic Department of the Tel-Aviv District Court handed down a ruling on the matter of a tender offer published by Africa-Israel Industries in 2012 for the purchase of shares of Negev Ceramics.
February 1, 2015
Round Table: Director responsibility in today’s era
Due to the many regulations, legal advisors and statements of claims, the directors of public companies do not know if it's their job to manage or supervise. Micky Barnea, a renowned figure in this field, was invited to be a member of a panel of experts to discuss the responsibility of the Board of Directors in the new era.
January 29, 2015
Mergers & Acquisition 2015 - Virtual Round Table
Corporate Live Wire held a Mergers Acquisition Roundtable with five experts from around the world, including Simon Jaffa. The international Mergers Acquisition experts examined the latest changes and developments in each expert's respective jurisdiction. The mergers acquisition roundtable provides in depth analysis of the latest trends in the MA arena. This included topics such as the main risks and challenges facing cross-border activity, tax implications and the strength of technology-based investment in Israel.
November 26, 2014
Seminar: Employee Stock Option Plans – From A to Z
Ezra Katzen was a featured speaker at a meeting of the Association of Corporate Counsel – Israel (ACCI) in November. The topic of his address was “The General Counsel, The Most Important Link in the Options Chain.” Drawing on his many years of experience as an in-house counsel, Ezra spoke about the legal and practical challenges in administering an Employee Stock Options Plan from the perspective of the in-house lawyer.
The meeting was jointly sponsored by Barnea and ESOP-Excellence, and was attended by general counsels and senior in-house attorneys from approximately 40 Israeli companies.
October 14, 2014
IFLR 2015 edition ranks Barnea & Co.
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.”