Adv Pinhas Rubin > Gornitzky & Co. > Tel Aviv, Israel > Lawyer Profile

Gornitzky & Co.
Vitania Tel-Aviv Tower
20 Haharash St. TLV Israel 6761310
Israel
Pinhas Rubin photo

Work Department

Corporate; Tax; Mergers & Acquisitions; Banking & Finance; Capital Markets & Securities; Trusts, Estates & Private Wealth Management; Litigation & Dispute Resolution; Class Actions & Derivative Suits; White Collar Crime; Restructuring & Insolvency; Administrative Law; Commercial; Telecoms & Media; Antitrust & Competition

Position

Firm Chairman and Senior Partner.

Career

Pinhas Rubin is the Chairman and the Head of the firm at Gornitzky & Co.

He is considered by the Israeli financial press to be a “key position” holder and was listed therein as one of the people who will “open any door for you”. Since 2002, The Marker Magazine has repeatedly identified him as one of the 100 most influential people in the Israeli economy, and leading international legal guides named him “a super lawyer” and “the best lawyer in Israel”. In 2019 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chambers Global guide.

Mr. Rubin sets himself apart from other legal practitioners, who specialize in one specific field, with his unique interdisciplinary approach: He is regarded as a reputable expert in the numerous fields in which he regularly practices, especially in the areas of corporate law, tax, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, trusts and estates, litigation and dispute resolution, white collar crime, class actions and derivative suits. In addition, Mr. Rubin lectures on a variety of legal topics at Israel’s finest academic institutions.

Acting across a broad range of legal practices, Mr. Rubin is extensively involved in Israel’s most significant transactions and legal disputes.

Mr. Rubin has the utmost respect for his clients’ privacy and therefore clients remain anonymous in notable representations that include:

  • Assisting Israel’s largest commercial groups and banks in their tax issues and tax disputes;
  • Involvement in tax matters on behalf of leading international telecommunications companies, financial service providers, and banking institutions in Israel;
  • Representation and counsel to foreign trusts and their beneficiaries regarding trust laws and related tax matters;
  • Representation of affluent Israeli families in their legal matters, as well as legal and tax advice to high net worth individuals who qualify for a tax holiday upon their immigration to Israel;
  • Mergers, acquisitions and re-organizations of leading Israeli companies, including Israel’s largest energy companies;
  • Structuring a three-way merger of three publicly-traded Israeli insurance companies;
  • Structuring a merger between Israel’s two largest food manufacturers;
  • Acting on behalf of Israel’s largest banks in mergers and acquisitions;
  • Representation of Israel’s largest bank, in its share offering by prospectus (“GDR”) to accredited foreign investors;
  • Representation of Israel’s largest companies in IPOs on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange;
  • Representation of high profile corporate leaders in defense of white collar crimes;
  • Litigation in class actions and derivative suits on behalf of leading industrial and commercial companies in the Israeli economy, such as banks, insurance companies and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange;
  • Acting on behalf of US and Israeli investors in the acquisition of a controlling interest in Israel’s largest bank;
  • Ongoing representation of Israel’s largest banks in their various corporate and tax issues;
  • Advising and litigating on behalf of Israel’s leading insurance companies on various corporate, tax and commercial matters;
  • Advising Israel’s largest business groups with regard to the recommendations of the Committee on Increasing Competitiveness in the Economy (the “Concentration Committee”);
  • Representation of the CEO of a leading international public company, traded both in the US and Israel, in an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court regarding an alleged criminal tax violation, in which the decision of the district court was overturned;
  • Representation of Israel’s Ministry of Finance and three former finance ministers in the governmental investigation committee regarding the collapse of bank securities on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange;
  • Representation of a significant private shareholder in the sale of his interest in one of Israel’s largest insurance companies;
  • Serving as the liquidator of a large international insurance company, including devising a liquidation plan and negotiating an arrangement with international creditors;
  • Representation of Israel’s leading gas companies before the Committee to Examine the Fiscal Policy on Oil and Gas Resources in Israel (the “Sheshinski Committee”);
  • Representation of one of Israel’s leading commercial families in their personal and commercial affairs, including their purchase of significant interests in banking and insurance companies.
  • Representation of the Israeli Ambassador to a significant foreign country, formerly the president of one of Israel’s leading universities, in certain settlements with the authorities and his defense before the High Court of Justice in his appeal on the preclusion of his appointment as Israel’s ambassador.
  • Representation of a controlling shareholder in a public company suspected of committing several inside trading offenses, in which he was acquitted of all charges.

Languages

Hebrew and English.

Memberships

1973, Israel Bar Association; Member of the National Advisory Committee on Reform of the Israeli Court System that was established by the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Israeli Supreme Court; Chairman of the Israel Bar Association’s Taxation Committee (1985-1999); Member of the National Committee on Reform of Taxation, a committee appointed by the Minister of Finance, and that applied principles of international taxation on the Israeli taxation system (known as the “Rabinovitz Committee”) (2002)

Education

LL.B., Tel Aviv University (1972)

Lawyer Rankings

Israel > Restructuring and insolvency

(Leading individuals)

Pinhas RubinGornitzky & Co.

The team at Gornitzky & Co. represents distressed corporations, creditors, shareholders, financial institutions and private equity sponsors in insolvency and corporate restructuring mandates. Praised as ‘incredibly commercial and deeply knowledgeable’, Yaron Elhawi handles high-stakes insolvency cases and jointly leads the team alongside Karen Reichbach-Segal, who has experience in liquidations, receiverships, and insolvencies. ‘Pragmatic and deal-orientedAmnon Biss advises on debt settlements in litigation mandates and is frequently engaged by creditors. Firm chairman Pinhas Rubin and Ofer Tzur, who spearheads the litigation department, are also key contacts in the team.

Israel > Tax

(Hall of Fame)

Pinhas RubinGornitzky & Co.

Gornitzky & Co. is well versed in taxation work for high-net-worth individuals who have immigrated to Israel from other countries, as well as those who have chosen to emigrate from Israel to different jurisdictions. The firm handles matters for such clients including taxation of trusts and foreign tax credit advice. The firm also stands out for its high-profile tax litigation experience, regularly handling appeals at the Supreme Court level, as well as multiple appeals against the tax authority. The team is jointly led by Pinhas Rubin, who focuses on the financial services sector and also specialises in criminal tax adjudication, and trusts and estates expert Daniel Paserman. Gil Grady is also key, covering corporate tax, real estate taxation, VAT and sales tax matters. Shlomo Aviad Zider, an experienced advisor in tax-related investigations and an accomplished litigator, is another of the team’s top practitioners.

Israel > Commercial, corporate and M&A

(Hall of Fame)

Pinhas RubinGornitzky & Co.

Regarded as the go-to firm for new international players on the Israeli market, Gornitzky & Co. maintains a stellar reputation in the field, handling the country’s highest-profile M&A transactions, while also notably assisting private equity firms in their private capital raising operations. Department co-head Chaim Friedland is the main contact, while fellow co-head Elite Elkon’s practice includes financial regulatory matters and financing transactions. Other key names include Timor Belan, who concentrates his strong capabilities on international compliance and investigations, hi-tech industry expert Yehonatan Raff, and firm chairman Pinhas Rubin.

Israel > Dispute resolution > Dispute resolution: local litigation and arbitration

Commended as being ‘highly respected by the judicial system and its judges’, Gornitzky & Co.’s dispute resolution group is equipped to handle high-stakes cases in the commercial, civil and administrative law fields. Considered by some as a ‘strategic genius’, group head Ofer Tzur continues to raise his profile in the market and was at the helm for several key matters over the past year, including representing Property and Building Corp and Hadarim Properties in a multimillion-dollar dispute with Mega Or Holdings and Big Shopping Centers. Other experienced partners include firm chairman Pinhas Rubin; Kfir Yadgar, who possesses niche expertise in hospitality and transport-related matters; and commercial litigator Ofer Fleischer. The team also draws on Shirin Gabbay-Metzger, Eli Cohen and ‘creative’ senior associate Inbal Ronel.