FANDZ International Law Group | Washington - Seattle - Israel

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► August 2005: Zell Goldberg has moved to new office premises in both Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. For address and phone details, click.

► Zell Goldberg & Co. is affiliated with Eurolegal, a European network of independent law firms. More information here about the network, and the advantages this brings to clients of our firm.

► Zell, Goldberg & Co., the Israeli affiliate of the FANDZ International Law Group, has established itself as one of Israel’s most highly-regarded business and litigation-oriented law firms.

► With offices in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, together with affiliated offices in Washington, D.C. and Moscow, as well as in Europe through our Eurolegal membership, Zell Goldberg acts on behalf of a wide spectrum of multinational and domestic clients with interests in Israel and throughout the world.

► New International Survey Israel has come out in In other words, says Yediot Aharonot (Nov. 20, 2005), Israel’s largest [Posted Novemver 23, 2005]

Updated to 03-Aug-06

The late David Bar-Illan ►November 2005: ZGC founder Marc Zell delivered the closing remarks at the Fourth Annual David Bar-Illan Israel and the Media Conference held at the University of Judea & Samaria in Ariel. Speaking to a packed hall, Mr. Zell commented on the life of the former director of the Prime Minister's Office of Policy Planning and Communications: "Much has been said and written about David Bar-Illan – how he was the very essence of a renaissance man in an age when such broad-ranging interests and talents are so rare. A musician of the first rank – a classical pianist whose recordings and performances won him acclaim throughout the world; a writer and scholar of great repute who penned the words of some of the West's greatest statesmen; an accomplished journalist and editor of one of the world's great newspapers; a policy advisor to a Prime Minister of Israel. It boggles the mind that one man could accomplish so much in just 73 years."

►September 28, 2005: ZGC has been retained by an international vehicle manufacturer to provide defense contracting procurement law guidance in connection with the preparation and submission of proposals. In this connection, ZGC attorneys have been counseling the client on various aspects of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, including buy-national requirements, socio-economic clauses, performance bonds and bid guarantees, as well as technology and other issues. ZGC is one of the only firms in Israel specializing in the international procurement law area.

►September 26, 2005: ZGC founding partner, Marc Zell, was the lead-off speaker at the Annual Tribute to the Christian Allies Parliamentary Caucus hosted by the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem. Referring to the verse in Deuteronomy presenting each of us with a choice between "life and good, death and evil," Mr. Zell asked the audience: "Are we worthy of that challenge? Are we capable of making the correct and fateful choice? I believe firmly that the answer is yes... The challenge is ours jointly to meet, Christian and Jew, hand in hand." Mr. Zell extended greetings for the New Year to the numerous attendees who included several Members of Knesset.

►September 21, 2005: ZGC has been retained by an international motor vehicle manufacturer to provide international government procurement assistance and counselling regarding a major purchase of equipment in the Middle East.

►September 14, 2005: ZGC Partner, Marc Zell, appeared today as a commentator on the Voice of Israel regarding the legal and political consequences of President George W. Bush's declaration of responsibility for the lack of an effective governmental response at all levels to Hurricane Katrina.

► September 12, 2005: ZGC Attorneys and prominent Israeli contractor Matityahu Lifshitz met with members of the Alabama State Delegation sponsored by the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Region in Beersheba to discuss USA-Israeli cooperation in the construction industry to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Alabama and Mississippi.

► September 12, 2005: A delegation of business leaders from Alabama took part in a Zell Goldberg-hosted luncheon today in Jerusalem. ZGC attorneys Marc Zell, Terry Aronoff and Arnold Roth addressed the Alabama-Israel Trade Mission group, along with selected representatives of several Jerusalem area businesses. The group's visit to Israel was arranged by the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Region under the leadership of president Tom Glaser.

► September 11, 2005: Zell, Goldberg today filed a High Court of Justice petition seeking a Show Cause order in connection with the government's failure to comply with international environmental law as well as with international and regional marine pollution agreements in connection with the implementation of the Government's unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza District. More

► September 6, 2005: In Israel, Zell Goldberg's Adv. Marc Zell appeared as a commentator on two Channel 2 news programs: the main evening news program as well as the following morning's breakfast news program. His subject was the political aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the US federal, state and local governments to respond in a timely fashion to the victims of the catastrophic storm.

► July 28 2005: Adv. Marc Zell from our Jerusalem office was interviewed on Israel's Reshet Bet international affairs program discussing the legal aspects of the current controversy involving presidential advisor Karl Rove and CIA worker, Valerie Plame Wilson. The interview focused on the federal intelligence officer identity protection legislation and the civil contempt citation against New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

► July 28 2005: We've moved! Zell Goldberg has new office premises in Jerusalem and in Tel-Aviv. Phone and fax numbers remain unchanged. Details here

► July 13, 2005: ZGC attorney, Adv. Marc Zell, appeared as an expert on U.S. corporate law on Kol Israel's international affairs program, discussing the significance of the conviction of former WorldCom executive, Bernard Ebbers, and his unprecedented 25-year jail sentence - effectively life imprisonment for the 64-year old defendant. (Kol Israel is the national radio network.)

► July 12, 2005: ZGC has been retained to provide antitrust advice under the Israel Restrictive Business Practices Law to a major multinational manufacturer in connection with a proposed cooperative agreement with a principal competitor.

► July 3, 2005: Zell, Goldberg & Co. has been retained by a major regional automotive manufacturer to providing advice concerning an international procurement agreement.

► July 3, 2005: Adv. Marc Zell was interviewed on Israel's national radio service, Kol Yisrael, as an expert on American constitutional law, discussing the ramifications of the resignation of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor from the United States Supreme Court.

More Latest Developments

Selected documents and memoranda of advice produced by the firm and made available to the general public as a service are detailed below. Please first read this important disclaimer.
Updated to 03-Aug-06

► Israeli Taxation of US Wrongful Death Award: An Israeli citizen resident in Israel was killed in the State of Texas due to the wrongful act of third parties. The deceased's survivors brought an action under Texas law for damages. A Zell Goldberg memorandum addresses whether the proposed settlement would be subject to taxation in Israel when received by the survivors. See ZGC Practice Note [PDF] [Posted November 23, 2005]

► For most business-persons as well as domestically-focused legal practitioners, it is easy to overlook the matter of a forum selection clause: the contractual provision that enables the parties to select the place where their disputes will be adjudicated. Failure to pay proper attention to this issue or to draft the clause carefully can lead to unfortunate surprises and frustrated expectations. See ZGC Practice Note [PDF] [Posted November 10, 2005]

► As one of the world’s leading centers for high-technology innovation and product development, Israel attracts attention from foreign enterprises interested in acquiring access to Israeli technology by acquiring Israeli companies. What are the new owner’s obligations to the existing workforce? This ZGC web memorandum provides readers and visitors a brief overview of the law in this important sector of M & A law. See ZGC Practice Note [PDF] [Posted November 10, 2005]

► Litigants in United States-based trans-national litigation frequently seek the production of documents in the possession of Israeli defendants or Israeli companies affiliated with U.S.-based enterprises. In a recent situation we were asked by a United States Plaintiff to company to assist in the production of documents held by a U.S. subsidiary of an Israeli parent. See ZGC Practice Note > [Posted October 25, 2005]

► ZGC attorneys frequently act for Middle Eastern clients in United States federal and state courts. Recently in a precedent setting decision, ZGC Counsel, Adv. Sheldon Schorer, representing two Israeli defendants in a civil action brought in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York succeeded in preventing the entry of a default judgment and having the complaint dismissed for improper service of process for failure to comply with the requirements of the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters: CAT 2002, Inc. v. Evans, CV-04-1715, Mem. Op. (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 22, 2005). See ZGC Case Note [PDF]... [Posted October 25, 2005]

► Common law spouses enjoy certain rights in the property of each other which become relevant upon the couple’s separation or one spouse’s death. Adv. Sonia Shnyder examines the legal issues in a paper entitled "Property and Succession Rights of a Common-Law Spouse Under Israeli Law"

► It has been held that a bank account credit balance in an Israeli bank is subject to jurisdiction in rem of the courts of Israel whether there is, or is not, jurisdiction in personam over any person having an interest therein. Adv. Marc Zell analyzes the issues.

► The Knesset finally passed legislation on 27 July 2005 formally restricting the liability of the State of Israel for civil harms committed in conflict zones.
More >

► The Knesset has passed legislation, first introduced in 2002, which grants broad immunity to public officials from civil tort suits.
More > [Posted August 2005]

► The Government of Israel proposes comprehensive legislation to regulate non-profit companies. More > [Posted August 2005]

► Zell Goldberg & Co. recently advised a client on the effectiveness of a choice of forum and choice of law clause and related matters. Selected issues from that advice are published here. [Posted June 2005]