Adv. Lior Porat is the co-Managing Partner of Gornitzky & Co. and leads the firm’s Telecom and Media practice, as well as its corporate practice.
Corporate and Capital Market
In view of Lior’s rich and diverse experience in the corporate and capital markets field, Lior advises leading local and global corporations, both public and private alike, which operate in various sectors of the economy, in the fields of corporate law, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, regulation, corporate governance, and many more.
Lior’s experience encompasses many of the legal aspects in a company’s life, including performing corporate transactions, corporate governance matters, mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and restructurings, complex financing transactions, and many more.
Corporate and civil Litigation
In addition, Lior has expertise in the field of Corporate and civil Litigation and in resolving disputes and crises at key corporations in the Israeli economy. To that end, Lior leads cases, on a regular basis, involving issues pertaining to the securities laws and corporate laws, including in large-scale and complex derivative and class action proceedings.
Recent notable experience includes:
- Representing Osem Investments in a “Going Private” transaction with Nestle (by way of a reverse triangular merger);
- Representing Israel Corporation in a spin-off and the transfer of its holdings;
- Representing Bezeq in a capital reduction proceeding in the amount of NIS 3 billion.
- Representing Bezeq in the Supreme Court, in the dismissal of appeals regarding derivative claims, with respect to the capital reduction plan implemented by Bezeq. These proceedings constitute an important cornerstone in the development of corporate law in Israel, in view of the formal “adoption” of the principles of the Delaware-based business judgment rule, for the very first time and in a precedent-setting manner.
- Representing IFF and Frutarom in their legal affairs in Israel, including in complex litigation proceedings such as a claim for the reimbursement of an exceptional bonus that was received by the company’s former CEO, in the amount of US $20 million.
- Representing Israel Corporation in a derivative action proceeding filed against the controlling shareholder and senior officers.
- Representing Partner Communications in a petition filed with the Supreme Court against the lowering of the interconnect fees.
Telecom and Media:
In the Telecom and Media sector, Lior is consistently ranked among the leading and most experienced attorneys in Israel.
Lior has rich and diverse experience in representing leading communications corporations in all of the key industries in this sector: in the television industry; in the telecoms industry; in the cellular industry; in the internet industry; and in the local and global satellite industry. Lior’s experience includes providing legal services to the communications and media corporations in licensing and regulation proceedings that require in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of the onerous regulation prevalent in this field, as well as in transactions that are unique to the communications sector and in litigation in this field.
To that end, Lior acts for leading local and global operators such as Israel’s largest telecoms company, one of Israel’s leading cellular companies, the only multi-channel TV operator via satellite, an international satellite services company, an international online news company and many other companies.
In the course of his career, Lior has taken part in many prominent transactions in the communications market.
Recent notable TMT experience includes:
- Acting for the satellite broadcasting company, YES, from its inception, in legal and regulatory aspects.
- Representing the cellular operator, Golan Telecoms Ltd. and its (former) shareholders in a merger with Cellcom Israel Ltd., including the regulatory proceedings that were necessary for that purpose;
- Representing clients in transactions with the leading international content providers, such as Studio Canal, Netflix, HBO, Fox, BBC, Sky, Disney and others, including the licensing of the distribution rights of the extremely successful Israeli political thriller TV series, “Fauda” to Netflix.
