Arieh Hagai - Attorneys at Law

Arieh Hagai, Attorneys at Law is among the leading firms in the fields of civil-commercial law, insolvency and receiverships, municipal law, and real estate. The firm maintains its principal office in Givatayim, alongside an office in Jerusalem.
The firm provides its clients with first-class legal services, including legal advice and opinions from the earliest stages of every matter, across all of its areas of practice: monetary claims and litigation; development levies, betterment levies, and municipal taxation (arnona); eviction and recovery of possession proceedings; cessation of unauthorized use and illegal construction; debt collection and enforcement proceedings; receiverships and realization of secured or attached assets; and insolvency proceedings involving individuals and corporations.
The firm’s clients include some of the largest public and governmental institutions and corporations in Israel, including local authorities, banking institutions, communications companies, and government bodies. Most are long-standing and loyal clients represented by the firm over many years, reflecting their appreciation of the services they receive.
The firm provides local authorities with close and professional legal counsel in matters including municipal taxation (arnona), development levies and betterment levies, tenders and legal opinions, responses to objections and appeals, administrative petitions, representation in class actions, and defense against claims filed against them.

The Firm’s Staff

Adv. Arieh Hagai, Head of the Firm, has more than three decades of experience in banking, receiverships, insolvency, local government, municipal and administrative law, real estate, and planning and construction law. He represents the firm’s clients before all judicial instances, including the Supreme Court.

Adv. Dana Hagai-Arazi, Owner, graduated with honors in law from Bar-Ilan University, holds an LL.M. from Tel Aviv University, and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. A member of the firm’s management team, she practices litigation and is responsible for developing monitoring and control systems designed to improve performance, streamline operations, and enhance client interfaces.

Adv. Karin Zeevi, has an LL.B. (summa cum laude), Netanya Academic College and LL.M., Tel-Aviv University (magna cum laude), and has extensive experience in the firm’s practice areas. She leads the Municipal Department and with substantial litigation experience.

The firm employs approximately 35 staff members, including ten lawyers who comprise its leading professional team, among them three attorneys holding LL.M. degrees, one attorney holding a degree in Computer Science, lawyers with twenty and thirty years of seniority, as well as interns and approximately 20 administrative employees.

Expertise in Monetary Lawsuits

Over the years, the firm has filed tens of thousands of monetary claims on behalf of its clients, amounting to hundreds of millions of ₪, in both enforcement proceedings and court litigation. Since its establishment, the firm has consistently ranked among the leading collection firms for its clients.
The firm operates a unique debt-collection system that works with debtors in accordance with the regulatory requirements applicable to each field and seeks to maximize collection efficiently while remaining sensitive to client needs. In addition, the firm is engaged in asset seizure and realization proceedings, manages receiverships, and represents creditors in insolvency and liquidation proceedings involving both individuals and corporations.

Creativity, Knowledge and Experience

The firm’s outstanding reputation stems from the synergy of deep professional knowledge, many years of experience, and creativity. Adhering to the principle that “knowledge is power,” the firm continually stays abreast of legal developments and case law while placing its accumulated experience at the service of its clients. Thinking outside the box, together with collaborative brainstorming by the entire team, generates the creative solutions that provide added value to clients.

Excellence, Expertise and First-Class Service

The team’s professionalism and mastery of both the substantive legal fields and procedural aspects of litigation enable the firm to maximize legal proceedings with strong prospects of success, alongside proven litigation and negotiation capabilities. The firm’s clients enjoy personal attention and ongoing service over many years, reflecting both the quality of the firm’s service and client satisfaction.
The firm places particular emphasis on availability and high-quality legal service, combining extensive experience with a fresh and creative approach aimed at maximizing results for clients. The firm utilizes advanced technological and computerized systems that interface directly with clients’ systems, enabling real-time updates regarding the status of cases, alongside reporting and monitoring tools designed to improve efficiency and enhance client interaction.

Principle Setting Rulings

Extensive and groundbreaking rulings handed down in matters handled by the firm on behalf of its clients have been cited dozens of times in judgments at all judicial levels. Among the most notable are:

AA 11641/04 Baruch Sela v. Gderot Regional Council: established a fundamental precedent regarding the initial imposition of municipal taxation (arnona). AA 4612/06 Lod Municipality v. Israel Railways.; CA 9305/09 Arieh Hagai v. Yosef Alberk, Liquidator of the Pardes Hanna-Karkur Economic Company: the Supreme Court established principles governing the acceptance of a proof of debt filed out of time.; BrM 4700/18 Israel Railways Ltd. v. Modiin-Maccabim-Reut Municipality and Ramla Municipality: the Supreme Court ruled, with respect to all railway stations represented by the firm, that platform areas situated within fifteen meters of the railway axis are deemed a “street” and are therefore exempt from municipal taxation and development levies.

Banking, Financial Claims, and Insolvency:
Banking – Insolvency Appeal (Central District) 29608-09-25 Lagzayel v. Bank Hapoalim Ltd. et al., Decision dated 14.11.25: In this matter, the firm represented Bank Hapoalim, and the appellant’s request to stay proceedings for the sale of an apartment owned by him was rejected. The appellant claimed that he had been denied the opportunity to present his position and that the decision had been made without proper process. The District Court rejected the application in light of the appellant’s lack of good faith, noting that despite court decisions prohibiting him from realizing the asset, he attempted to sell it himself. The court held that the proper course for realization of an asset belonging to a debtor subject to an insolvency commencement order is realization by the secured creditor under the supervision of the trustee.

Enforcement Case 508879-06-23, Decision dated 10.11.25: This matter concerned the authority of the Enforcement Registrar to reduce interest pursuant to Section 48A1 of the law in the realization of an asset valued at approximately NIS 5 million, in which the firm represented Bank Hapoalim. The debtor argued that approximately NIS 900,000 in debit interest had been charged and that the bank had acted in bad faith by pursuing realization proceedings despite knowing that the owner intended to sell the property independently and discharge the mortgage. The bank argued that there was no basis for reducing contractual interest known in advance and that the realization proceedings were in fact what led to repayment of the debt. The Registrar rejected the application, holding that the consistent pursuit of proceedings to realize the creditor’s proprietary rights constituted a legitimate right of the creditor and that the interest was intended to compensate the creditor for the delay.

CA 22766-04-23 Bank Hapoalim v. M.A. Topaz et al.:
The District Court accepted the bank’s appeal and reversed the ruling of the Magistrate’s Court, which had determined that after the company encountered difficulties during a debt arrangement, the bank was obligated to offer an alternative arrangement and that, in the absence of such an arrangement, the debtors should be released from their obligations. The court held that both the bank’s conduct and the debt arrangement were lawful.
Insolvency (Tel Aviv Magistrate Court) 33582-06-20:
At the creditor’s request, the trustee’s motion to terminate insolvency proceedings against a debtor acting in bad faith was denied. The court held that where insolvency proceedings are initiated at the request of a creditor, unlike proceedings initiated by the debtor, enforcement measures, including imprisonment proceedings, should first be exhausted against the debtor.
Receivership – CA 25135-07-22 Bank Hapoalim v. Pahachut & Tzeva: As part of the enforcement of a debenture, in which Adv. Arieh Hagai was appointed receiver, the court granted the receiver’s application requiring a company holding charged assets of the debtor company to pay reasonable usage fees until repayment of the debt.
Representation of Local Authorities: Class Actions, Administrative Petitions and Municipal Taxation
Class Actions: TC 68001-70-20 Karmi v. Kiryat Ono Municipality; TC 52342-03-21 Sfori v. Gderot Regional Council.
Development Levies: TA 35264-05-20 Peninat Yehud v. Kiryat Ono Municipality; AP 21907-11-21 Ofir v. Gderot Regional Council – a petition seeking to halt development works on the grounds of harm to environmental values was dismissed;
TA 19987-08-21 Misgav Dov Logistics v. Gderot Regional Council – a claim seeking approximately NIS 21 million in refunds of development levies and damages concluded for approximately NIS 2 million.
Municipal Taxation (Arnona): In the Jerusalem District Court (Hon. Judge Tamar Bar-Asher, RAA 68373-08-25), the municipality’s application for leave to appeal was granted, and the appellant’s claim was dismissed in limine on several grounds, including lack of standing, use of an improper procedural route, failure to exhaust administrative remedies, and absence of a cause of action, together with an award of costs in favor of the municipality.
Representation of State Authorities:
CA (Petah Tikva Magistrate Court) 8842-08-16 Israel Land Authority v. Matrani – a claim for demolition orders and cessation of unauthorized use was accepted in full, including with respect to the calculation of entrepreneurial profit arising from the unauthorized use.
CA (Petah Tikva Magistrate Court) 34911-09-16 Israel Land Authority v. Teitelbaum – a claim for cessation of unauthorized uses, eviction, recovery of possession, and payment of usage fees in excess of NIS 1 million was accepted in full.