Gornitzky & Co. is one of few Israeli firms with substantial experience in international arbitration and transnational litigation.
Our lawyers draw their experience in multiple sectors in order to successfully cater to clients’ needs throughout the entire life cycle of complex multi-jurisdiction disputes – including providing advice in the early stages of deal structuring (e.g. drafting arbitration clauses and advising on the potential protection afforded by bilateral investment treaties); providing guidance on available commercial and legal options when a dispute arises, while understanding the expenses and disruptions incurred to business from litigation; and ultimately by handing international litigation and alternative dispute resolution methods, as applicable.
Gornitzky’s International Arbitration practice is regularly recognized by the legal directories and is currently ranked Tier 1 for Dispute Resolution: Mediation and International Arbitration by Legal 500, describing it as “an excellent Israeli law firm with good international connections’ with proven ‘experience going up against some of the world’s top-tier firms”.
Partner Ofer Tzur, Head of Litigation, who specializes in international litigation and mediation has been recognized by Legal 500 as “Leading individual” in Dispute Resolution: Local Litigation and Arbitration.
Partners Eli Cohen and Nir Keidar have been recognized by the directory as “Leading individual” and “Next Generation Lawyer” respectively, due to , inter alia, their “recent success in a high-value ICC arbitration where the team acted as lead counsel in a dispute involving the construction of the largest private power plant in Israel.”
The International Litigation team is particularly active in litigating energy, construction and infrastructure international disputes, as well as M&A related disputes under the rules of all major arbitration institutions, particularly those under the rules of the ICC, UNCITRAL and the LCIA.
The team has substantial experience in handling complex multi-jurisdictional matters alongside leading international law firms, including client representation in foreign courts and before all international arbitration institutes. Moreover, the team represents clients before Israeli courts in cases of enforcement of foreign judgment proceedings and in obtaining measures for the Israeli courts in support of international arbitrations.
The practice is further enhanced by our team members’ unique previous experience in the field of public international law, including representation before the United Nations and in serving as senior legal advisors to the Government of Israel, where they advised key government officials on highly sensitive issues involving Public International Law. This allows Gornitzky to give clients unrivaled service in litigations involving issues of public international law (such as human rights or international humanitarian law), as well as in investor-state disputes.
Notable recent representations include:
• Successfully acted for shareholders of an international cosmetics company in a shareholder dispute involving ICC arbitration process in which clients ultimately were awarded with over US$50 million compensation;
• Successfully acted for a major construction company at an ICC London seat arbitration pertaining to the construction of the largest private power plant in Israel, in which clients ultimately were awarded with a US$20 million award;
• Successfully acted for an Israeli public construction company in an ICC London seat arbitration and mediation against a large US construction company in relation to a military construction project in Israel;
• Acting for one of the world’s largest mineral mining companies in a EURO 80 million dispute with a Geneva seat under the UNCITRAL rules pertaining to a power plant construction agreement.
• Acting for a leading global private equity fund in a price adjustment arbitration relating to an M&A transaction with a Fortune 500 company.
• Acting for an Israeli consulting firm in a LCIA arbitration pertaining to a dispute relating to fee claims by its representative in an Asian country.
• Acting for an Israeli construction company in obtaining temporary measures in support of an ICC arbitration as well as in ICC arbitration and mediation, relating to a the construction of a renewable power plan in Israel.
• Acting for an international client in enforcing an arbitration award in Israel.
• Acting for one of Israel’s largest renewable energy companies on a multiparty, multijurisdictional dispute where complex local and international LCIA arbitration agreements are in force;
• Acting for the legal Estate of a high net worth individual in a commercial dispute under the rules of the Commercial Arbitration Court in Hungary.
