Gornitzky GNY is a market leader in international dispute resolution and one of Israel’s only firms with a dedicated International Arbitration practice and substantial experience in international arbitration and transnational litigation.
Gornitzky’s International Arbitration practice is regularly recognized as a Tier 1 practice for Dispute Resolution: Mediation and International Arbitration by Legal 500, which describes the practice as Israel’s “market-leading international arbitration practice” and as “absolutely unrivaled in Israel, with the practice’s partners consistently enjoying individual recognition across all individual ranking categories.
The Gornitzky International Arbitration practice is the largest in Israel fully dedicated to international arbitration; the practice’s success rates and diverse sector experience are second to none in Israel and our lawyers have vast experience representing clients under the rules of the major arbitration institutions in both commercial and investment arbitration, as well as in ad-hoc proceedings. Our lawyers draw on their expertise in multiple sectors in order to successfully cater to clients’ needs throughout the life cycle of complex multi-jurisdictional 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, all while considering the expenses and disruptions incurred to business from legal disputes; and ultimately by handling international arbitration, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution methods, as appropriate.
The International Arbitration practice is particularly active in energy, construction and infrastructure disputes, including major PPP projects, as well as M&A, shareholder, technology, financial-services, hospitality and natural-resources disputes. The team has substantial experience in handling complex multi-jurisdictional matters, both as lead counsel and alongside leading international and foreign law firms, including proceedings involving states and state-owned entities and matters before foreign courts and major international arbitration institutions.
The practice has particular strength in recognition and enforcement work, including enforcing and defending against the enforcement of local and international arbitral awards and foreign judgments in the Israeli courts, as well as obtaining measures from the Israeli courts in support of international proceedings. The team has acted in landmark Israeli proceedings concerning the enforcement of ICC awards and in the first ICSID award enforcement proceedings commenced in Israel.
Beyond our client work, the team is actively involved in the international arbitration community, including through Tel Aviv Arbitration Week, a four-day international arbitration conference attended by leading practitioners from around the world. Nuna Lerner serves as Chair of the ICC Israel Arbitration Committee and is a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR for the 2024-2027 term. Nir Keidar was admitted as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2026, is a delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR and teaches investment arbitration at Bar-Ilan University. Maya Katz is ICC YAAF Representative for the Europe and Central Asia Committee for the 2026–2028 mandate. Our lawyers lecture and participate regularly in arbitration-related conferences and symposia internationally, and hold leadership, teaching and committee roles within major arbitration organisations and academic programmes.
Notable recent representations include:
- Acting for a respondent in a circa US$1.7 billion LCIA arbitration brought by a European state under a PPP agreement relating to a major real-estate development project.
- Acting for the principal contractor and related companies in an ICC arbitration valued at approximately €129 million, arising from a major railway infrastructure project in Israel.
- Successfully representing Hilton Worldwide Manage Limited in Israeli court proceedings securing the recognition and enforcement of ICC arbitral awards totalling approximately NIS 100 million.
- Acting for an award creditor in the first ICSID award enforcement proceedings commenced in Israel, involving an award of €38.5 million and US$224,000 arising from renewable-energy investments in Spain.
- Acting for a corporation in a US$1 billion SCC investment arbitration against an Eastern European state.
- Successfully acted for one of the world’s largest mineral mining companies in a dispute under the UNCITRAL rules pertaining to a power plant construction agreement which concluded with our client benefiting from a €62 million settlement agreement.
- Successfully acted for shareholders of an international cosmetics company in an ICC shareholders dispute in which clients ultimately enjoyed a US$50 million settlement.
- Successfully acted for a major construction company in an ICC arbitration pertaining to the construction of the largest private power plant in Israel, in which our client successfully received a US$20 million award.
- Successfully acted for a Thai corporation in a THB 350 million dispute pertaining to the construction of a luxury high-rise residential building in Bangkok, conducted in front of the Thai Arbitration Institute.
- Successfully acted for a leading global Private Equity fund in a price adjustment arbitration pertaining to an M&A transaction with a Fortune 500 company, in which our client was awarded a US$2.7 million award.
- Successfully acted for an Israeli public construction company in an ICC arbitration and mediation against a large US corporate pertaining to the construction of a military project in Israel.
- Successfully acted for an Israeli consulting firm in an LCIA arbitration pertaining to a finder’s fee dispute with its representative in an Asian country, and acted in subsequent enforcement proceedings of the favorable cost awareness in the Asian country.
- Successfully acted for a UK-based tech company in an ICC arbitration relating to a terminated joint venture agreement, in which the client secured a favorable settlement.
- Acting for an Israeli construction company in multiple ICC arbitrations and an ICC mediation pertaining to the construction of a major renewable power plant, including in proceedings relating to temporary measures in support of the arbitration in the Israeli courts.
- Acting for a major European manufacturer in an LMAA arbitration.
- Providing advice to multiple clients in relation to the potential enforcement of ICSID awards in Israel and abroad.
