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Practice 01

Doing Business in Israel

Entering the Israeli market means building a legal, corporate and banking presence that Israeli institutions, counterparties and advisers will work with. We put that presence in place and then run it with you.

How we work on these matters

Most clients arrive with a commercial plan and nothing Israeli behind it yet. The first stretch of work is much the same in every file: decide what form the Israeli presence should take, put it in place, and complete the registrations and accounts the business needs before it can trade.

After that the file becomes continuing rather than one-off. Contracts have to be drafted or reviewed against Israeli practice, employees have to be engaged on Israeli terms, authorities have to be answered, and your accountants and tax advisers need an Israeli lawyer who speaks to them directly. We stay on the file instead of handing it back.

We work in English and keep your existing advisers abroad in the picture, so that the Israeli part of the business is not something you have to run at a distance and without sight of it.

What this practice covers

  • Israeli market entry

    Choosing how to enter — a local company, a branch, a distributor or an agent — and what each of those choices commits you to.

  • Establishment of Israeli companies

    Incorporating the Israeli company, drafting its founding documents and completing the registrations it needs in order to operate.

  • Establishment of branches and local operations

    Registering a foreign company's branch in Israel where a subsidiary is not wanted, and building the local operation around it.

  • Corporate structuring and governance

    Who holds what, how decisions are taken, and how the Israeli entity sits under the group above it.

  • Legal coordination with accountants and tax advisers

    Working alongside your accountants and tax advisers so that the legal structure and the reporting position are built together rather than in sequence.

  • Israeli bank account opening

    Preparing the corporate and compliance documentation Israeli banks require, and representing the company through the account opening process.

  • Commercial agreements

    Drafting and negotiating the contracts the Israeli operation runs on: customers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners.

  • Regulatory requirements

    Establishing which Israeli licences, permits and regulatory obligations apply to the planned activity before it starts, not after.

  • Employment matters

    Engaging the first Israeli employees on compliant terms, and dealing with the obligations that come with being an employer in Israel.

  • Corporate immigration

    Bringing foreign executives and specialists into Israel to run or support the operation, including work permits and relocation.

  • Ongoing legal counsel

    Acting as the company's Israeli legal department on a continuing basis, rather than transaction by transaction.

  • Representation before Israeli authorities

    Appearing for the company before Israeli ministries, government authorities and other public bodies when the business needs a decision from them.

Corporate & Commercial

Where the structure turns into documents: constitutional papers, shareholder arrangements and the contracts the business runs on.

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Banking, Payments & Financial Compliance

Because the new company will need an Israeli account, and the funding for it will have to arrive through one.

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Employment & Corporate Immigration

Because the operation needs people in Israel, and some of them will be coming from abroad.

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Discuss Your Business or Legal Matter in Israel

Tell us what you are dealing with and where it stands. We will tell you what it involves in Israel and who at the firm will handle it.

Discuss Your Matter