Avi Finarsky And Associates

The law firm of Avi Finarsky specializes in military law, with an emphasis on counsel in military police investigations, representation in the court and formalizing the IDF status of Israelis who reside abroad. In addition to its day-to-day practice of investigative military police cases of offences of all types, including drugs, sexual offences, weapon offences, fraud and more – the firm has a unique specialization also in complex cases of training accidents, military operations offences, breach of the rules of engagement and command responsibility, including counsel to high-rank officers.

The firm was founded and is managed by Adv. Avi Finarsky, a seasoned and skilled military attorney who started his legal career in 2008, when he was recruited to the Military Advocate General Corps and served in the District Military Criminal Defense and in the Defense Attorney General office. During his service he served a senior defense attorney and handled major and complex cases that involved, inter alia, drug offences, sex offences, weapon offences, bribery and fraud offences, military documents offences, property offences etc. In the framework of his military service, Adv. Avi Finarsky was involved in particularly sensitive cases and in legal headquarters works the affected the entire military system.

In-Depth Familiarity with Military Law in General and the Modus Operandi of the MAG Corps in Particular

For his extensive and comprehensive work in the Military Defense, Adv. Finarsky received in 2010 a certificate of excellence from the major general at the time, Avihai Mandelblit. He also received a certificate of excellence from Maj. General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, the Major Attorney General, for his work as a major in the MAG Corps in his reserve service in 2022.

In the framework of his military reserve service, Adv. Avi Finarsky represents and counsels in complex cases, with an emphasis on sensitive cases, throughout the entire proceedings, including evidence, representation of the Military Defense in the Military Appeal Court and counsel and representation in cases that require unique expertise such as command responsibility, training accidents and military operations offences.

Adv. Avi Finarsky’s deep familiarity with military law in general and the modus operandi of the MAG Corps in particular, provides him with practical advantages in every aspect of the legal counsel, representation and assistance to IDF soldiers and officers who are suspected or accused in military offences of all types. Furthermore, senior Military Defense officers often ask Adv. Finarsky for counsel on various matters.

Legal Precedents and Numerous Achievements for the Firm’s Clients

The firm’s service focus on three main core areas: Legal counsel in military police investigations and legal representation before the military courts, formalizing the status vis-à-vis the IDF of persons who reside overseas, and representation of standing army personnel. In light of its deep familiarity with the system and its longstanding experience, the firm successfully represents career soldiers and facilitates status formalization vis-à-vis the IDF.

Over the years, the firm handled faithfully the full spectrum of military law cases, and in many of these cases it led to legal precedents that includes numerous achievements for its clients, including acquittals, dismissal of charges, substantial reduction of penalties, expungement and amendment of criminal records.
In the case of career soldiers, the representation also prevented their discharge from the army despite the intention of the military authorities to do so, or obtaining the full economic rights, all even in cases where the discharge was on criminal or other grounds.

Selected Cases/Significant Proceedings

The firm and Adv. Avi Finarsky in particular, represented and have been involved in some of the most significant cases that were investigated in the military system.
Understandably, not all of the represented clients or cases can be specified, but Adv. Avi Finarsky’s representation and counsel included cases of investigation of the deaths of non-combatants in military operations, including, for example, the representation of a person who was suspected in involvement in the death of a non-combatant who tried to cross the Gaza fence during Operation Guardian of the Walls, and after close legal assistance the case was closed, even though criminal charges were filed against other defendants in this affair.

Adv. Finarsky also accompanied investigations of significant training accidents such as the training accidents of firing during a drill in the Paratroopers Brigade, a training accident in the framework of the training in the Yahalom Unit and many other accidents.
Adv. Finarsky represented officers and NCOs in junior to senior ranks including in cases of illegal weapon use, of an officer who was claimed to fire unlawfully in order to spur on his soldiers, an officer in a classified position who were accused of falsifying sick leave days, an NCO who were accused of severe sexual offences including rape, medical officers in accusations that included suspicions concerning their command and professional responsibilities in various cases, including the death of soldiers, suicide, heat strokes and more.

The firm also represented numerous soldiers in the full spectrum of offences, including drugs, sexual offences, weapon offences, privacy protection offences and more.
In many serious cases, even some of those which were mentioned above, despite the dire suspicions that befell the suspects initially, the cases were closed, and in some of the cases with a full or partial acquittal, in the district court or even the Military Appeal Court.