The Legal 500

Erdinast, Ben Nathan & Co’s Rami Ben Nathan leads the media and communications practice, which advises clients such as Bezeq, YES, and several Israeli TV and local radio stations. The firm acted for Motorola during the sale of cell phone operator Mirs, and has been at the forefront of legal efforts to deregulate the telecoms market in Israel and to create a multi-channel television market.

Herzog Fox & Neeman was recently involved three huge telecoms transactions: advising 012 Smile on regulatory aspects of its $1.71bn purchase of controlling shares in Bezeq; advising Hutchinson on the sale of controlling shares in Partner Communications; and acting for Ampal on its $316m purchase of 012 Smile’s telecommunications activities and assets.

S. Horowitz & Co is the exclusive provider to the terrestrial commercial TV broadcaster Reshet-Noga, and acts for Israel’s largest media group, Yedioth Aharonot, as well as a number of radio stations. The firm was instructed on the standstill and refinancing of Israel’s second largest newspaper, Ma’ariv, in connection with its sale to the IDB Group. It also acts for Cellcom and Partner Communications, two of Israel’s three largest mobile phone operators, and for cable broadcasters HOT and YES.

ES Shimron, I Molho, Persky & Co’s clients include Channel 9, CNN Israel, ComStream, and Pelephone. Dov Abramowitz is recommended.

Name partner Ori Rahat leads the telecommunications and media team at Lamay Sider Rahat Tsiddon Fink, Advocates, which advises Orange, HOT, and Vonage, and is well known for its work in mobile communications.

Meitar Liquornik Geva & Leshem Brandwein recruited Yossi Abadi as its new practice co-head. Abadi, who joined from Caspi & Co in June 2011 and is a former executive director of the Broadcasting Regulatory Administration of Israel, led the firm on Altice and Cool Holdings’ ILS855m acquisition of HOT Telecommunication Systems shares.

Ron Gazit, Rotenberg & Co acts for Partner Communications, Keshet and IBA in regulatory proceedings and participates in parliamentary hearings on commercial and TV broadcasting legal reform. Partner Communications instructed the firm to prepare its submission for the Ministry of Communications in a hearing regarding mobile termination rates.

Yigal Arnon & Co is highly recommended for its ‘outstanding knowledge of local issues’ and ‘value for money’. The firm attracts many clients from the US and the UK for its lawyers’ ‘impeccable English’. David Osborne is ‘an excellent lawyer, business-oriented and extremely professional and knowledgeable at all times’. The firm advises on government and private tenders, handles consortium negotiations among consortium members, assists in securing broadcast licences, and advises on distribution, rate regulations and fixed-line and wireless access permit applications. Clients include Cellcom Israel, HOT, and 012 Smile.

Zellermayer Pelossof Rosovsky Tsafrir Toledano & Co.’s telecommunication and media practice is led by Michael Zellermayer. The firm represented Golan Telecom in its successful mobile operator tender, and T2T in successfully obtaining an MVNO licence. It also acted for Permira Partners and Pelephone Communications. Avi Pelossof is joint administrator for Nortel Networks and Nortel Communications under a stay of proceedings issued by the Tel Aviv District Court.

Fischer Behar Chen Well Orion & Co advises on regulatory matters and transactions. Clients include fixed-line telephony companies Bezek and HOT; commercial television provider Channel 10; the Israel Hayon newspaper; and Eurocom Group, which it represented recently in its buyout of the minority shareholders of Yes Satellite Broadcasting.

Gideon Koren & Co. Law Offices & Notary primarily advises on production, licensing and international media service agreements. Clients include Telad, Endemol Group, EINZO Productions, and Taya Media Group. Gideon Koren heads the team.

Goldfarb Seligman & Co. will build on the telecoms and media team inherited from Goldfarb, Levy, Eran, Meiri, Tzafrir & Co.

Gornitzky & Co. represents some of Israel’s largest media corporations including Bezeq, Partner Communications, and DBS Satellite Services. It recently advised Bezeq on a ILS3bn dividend shareholder distribution by way of capital reduction.

M. Firon & Co Advocates and Notaries represented 012 Smile in class action suits, including a ILS39m claim concerning subscribers’ cancellation rights.

Telecoms boutique Sharon Raviv & Co., Law Office handles contentious and non-contentious work. It recently advised Tamares Telecom on the deployment of a new international fibre-optic cable system linking Israel to Europe, and acted as local counsel to virtual and DID number services provider Voxbone.

Shibolet & Co’s telecoms and internet teams are headed by Yuval Karniel and Itai Leshem, respectively, and act for clients in litigation, regulation and commercial agreements.