DUN'S 100 - 2016

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2016 | DUN’S 100 DUN’S 100 | 2015
DUN’S 100 | 2016 2016 | DUN’S 100
Business Services
Law Firms - Local Authorities
Opher Shafir & Co.
O pher Shafir & Co. is an established and
highly regarded legal company that pro-
vides legal services mainly addressing
administrative civil law and municipal and public
law. Opher Shafir & Co. provides services to local
authorities, municipalities, local councils, regional
councils, government ministries, water and sew-
age corporations, local committees, cooperative
associations, community centers, Mekorot, IMI
and public and private companies. Practice areas
include all local authority and municipal corpora-
tion issues: planning and building law, municipal
taxes (rates, development levies and construction
fees), labor law, contracts, business licenses, civil
and administrative litigation, real estate and as-
sets, supporting and consulting on infrastructure
projects, etc. Opher Shafir & Co. is a renowned,
boutique legal company specializing in legal ser-
vices to local authorities and other agencies in the
municipal arena and offers a unique combination
of insightful understanding and all round expertise
for a very broad package of services.
About the Company
Opher Shafir & Co. was founded by Adv. Opher
Shafir, Adv. Inessa Goldenberg and Adv. Amir
Birnbaum in 2005 and is located in Rehovot Sci-
ence Park. Since its inception, the company has
developed and grown professionally to include a
highly dedicated team of 15 lawyers and interns
experienced in municipal administrative cases,
all ably supported by a devoted administrative
team.
Practice Areas
Planning and Building – Planning, management
and approval of urban plans, parcellation and
re-parcellation plans, licensing procedures, al-
lowances and exceptional uses, betterment fees,
compensation suits for value reduction, etc.
The firm serves as a legal advisor to local plan-
ning and building committees as well as being a
member of the consultancy team for the Interior
Ministry’s reorganization of planning and building
committees. Additionally the company provides
routine support and consultation concerning plan-
ning and building issues for local authorities and
Mekorot national water company and represents
clients in proceedings before the planning and
building district appeals’ committees, the national
council for planning and building, courts for ad-
ministrative affairs and the Supreme Court.
Expropriation – Managing expropriation proceed-
ings including Land Registry legislation, imple-
mentation procedures (parcelling, dividing and
consolidating), compensation for expropriation and
re-zoning. The firm’s lawyers represent clients in le-
gal and arbitration proceedings related to compen-
sation suits, the legality of expropriation, forcible
takeover procedures and managing arbitration.
Contracts and Obligations – Litigation services,
drafting agreements and documents for local mu-
nicipalities, while providing a broad overview of
the issues at hand, including tax and appraisal
concerns. Drafting tender documents utilizing dif-
ferent financingmethods, and consulting tenders
committees on publishing tenders and choosing
winners. Reviewing agreements and conducting
negotiations regarding terms and conditions.
Real Estate and Property – Handling and manag-
ing legal aspects of real estate transactions on
public or local municipality’s land, preparing
tenders for marketing and selling of land, imple-
menting parcellation and registering land rights,
managing obligations and obtaining approvals
from the tax, planning and licensing authorities.
The firm manages all reporting and registration
aspects, registering shared properties and rep-
resenting contractors, mainly in projects for high-
density construction. The firm’s teamof lawyers is
experienced in providing expert opinion reports
and advising municipalities and private clients
on real estate issues.
Municipal Tax – Providing advice and representa-
tion in municipal taxation issues including rates,
fees, development and infrastructure levies, bet-
terment fees, etc.
Municipal, Water and Sewage Corporations –
Founding municipal corporations including joint
corporations for development and commerce,
founding water and sewage corporations, over-
seeing the joining of local authorities to water and
sewerage corporations, founding public NPOs and
providing routine advice on all issues including
tax, installing principles of establishment fees,
rights, labor law, real estate etc.
Labor Law – Litigation and advisory services for
the private and public sector including terms
of employment, retirement, pension, collective
agreements, tenders, etc.
Municipal Authority Arrangements – Advisory ser-
vices on formal proceedings andmunicipal mecha-
nisms such as managing election proceedings,
defining and supervising authority and rights of
elected officials, joint workwith government min-
istries, etc. The firm’s team is skilled in handling
these issues before statutory forums and courts.
Public and Administrative Law– Advisory services
on public and administrative law issues for local
municipalities and private bodies, on a range of
subjects including welfare, education and elected
internal bodies. The firm represents clients before
judicial and administrative forums and courts, in-
cluding the Supreme Court.
Budgetary and Financial Management –Manage-
ment and representation regardingmunicipal bud-
get issues and financial decision making.
Bylaws – Drafting and formulating municipal by-
laws, from inception till final approval and publica-
tion. This includes oversight of the calculations of
obligatory payment rates for institutions, authori-
ties and agencies approved by the State.
Adv. Opher Shafir
Graduated from Bar-Ilan University Law Faculty
and was party to writing the local authorities bill
(municipal tax). Author of the books entitled:
“Local authorities development fees and levies”,
“Water and sewage corporations (with Adv. Natali
Shmuelli-Maudi). These books encapsulate the
latest changes in municipal tax and infrastructure
development rulings and reforms in Israel’s water
and sewage sector, and are widely quoted inmany
new rulings and breakthroughs. Adv. Shafir is a
highly sought out lecturer in different litigation
arenas and was responsible for coordinating the
academic course for increasing local authority
revenue in 2005.
Esta b l i s h e d
2005
L i n e o f B u s i n ess
Lawyers in the field of administrative-
municipal and civil law
10 Prof. Menachem Plaut St.,
Rehovot 7670609
Tel: 972-8-9311111
Fax: 972-8-9311112
Amir Birnbaum, Adv.
Partner
Yogev Minnes, Adv.
Partner
Opher Shafir, Adv.
Founder and Senior
Partner