Fried-Gabay, Law Office

Fried-Gabay is repeatedly ranked as Israel’s leading white-collar and criminal law firms. The firm’s leaders, Advocates Tal Gabay and Yehuda Fried, maintain extensive expertise in representing suspects and defendants in various criminal and white-collar offences. The firms’ clients and the colleagues attest to their meticulous work, professional and legal abundance and uncompromising determination while representing clients, leading the firm to unprecedented achievements which positioned in at the front row of Israel’s criminal defense lawyers.
The firm specializes both in white collar crimes including bribery, fraud and breach of trust, money laundering, tax evasion, securities, seizures and forfeitures, and extradition requests, and in severe crime such as homicide, killing, weapons, drugs, violence and sex crimes. The firm’s expertise is regularly portrayed in legal achievements while setting precedents, including in principle, famous, publicly acknowledged and complex cases. The firm’s clients include celebrities, mayors, private clients, businesspeople, and key figures from the religious sector. The firm represented Israel Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Yona Metzger, in the largest bribery case submitted against a public figure; Eyal Golan in the “social games affair”, Julian Sofir, who was acquitted in the murder case of the Arab taxi driver; Mrs. Malka Leifer in Israel’s largest extradition case; the matter of drowning in the sinkhole, and more.

Adv. Tal Gabay

Adv. Gabay specializes in litigation and heads the firm White-Collar Department. Adv. Gabay is one of Israel’s most valued lawyers and was ranked in Globes newspaper in 2020 as “the rising star in the criminal defense sky.” He specializes in cases of government corruption, bribery, securities, money laundering, fraud and breach of trust and manages some of Israel’s most significant cases. He represented Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Yona Metzger, in the largest bribery case submitted against a public figure and led as Eyal Golan’s defense lawyer to shelving the criminal case. He started his professional career in the law firm of Adv. Yossi Levy in the antitrust department. Adv. Gabay serves as Chairperson of the Criminal Forum and the Chairperson of the White-Collar Committee of the Israel Bar Association and has an LL.B. (cum laude).

Adv. Yehuda Fried

Adv. Fried heads the firm’s Criminal Department and specializes in offences of homicide, weapons, drugs, violence, sex and more. Adv. Fried is among Israel’s most important defense lawyers and is widely appreciated for his representation of Israel’s most significant cases, including known murder cases such as the acquittal in the murder case of the Arab taxi driver, the big drug smuggling from Japan, complex extradition cases such as Malka Leifer, and others. Adv. Fried has an LL.B., a B.A., Social Work and an M.B.A. He started his professional career as a prison officer in the Israeli Prison Service and interned in the Tel Aviv District Attorney Office (Criminal Department).

Worldview: Nothing Can Stand in the Way of the Defense Attorney

The firm believes that a good defense attorney is measured by their ability to present a solid alternative thesis to that of the prosecution. This requires creative thinking, innovation and determined striving towards discovering and understanding details. The partners leave no stone unturned while finding the defense angle that would lead to the acquittal of the defendant, as their thorough proficiency regarding criminal law, and Adv. Fried’s in-depth familiarity with the work of the State Attorney come into play.

Motto: Victory is the Ultimate Value

Since the firm was founded in 2007, the partners have been outlining a clear policy for the quality of managing cases, handling proceedings with the reverence of a murder case, from the understanding that freedom - the most fundamental right - is on the line. They work ceaselessly to formulate every case’s strategy, leading to victory.

A Boutique Firm – Personal Service

As a boutique firm, the firm provides optimal legal service, prioritizing full attention for every client. The partners personally lead every case together, committed to uncompromising standards.

Notable Cases

• The Former Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger: Our firm represented the Chief Rabbi in the largest bribery case ever filed against a public official, about NIS10 million. The complex negotiations vis-à-vis the State Attorney Office, the indictment was significantly amended and a lenient plea bargain including a short prison term of 3.5 years, following substantial arguments regarding the evidence and legal aspects of offence. This particularly lenient plea bargain led to an extraordinary move: the district court elected not to honor the agreement between the parties and extended the sentence to 4.5 years. The court added that if a plea bargain would not have been signed, it would have sentenced the rabbi to at least 7 years in prison. The appeal that the firm submitted to the Supreme Court was accepted and the sentence was determined to be 3.5 years.
• Eyal Golan: This is one of Israel’s most publicized cases, that included one of the country’s most famous singers – Eyal Golan. In this legally complex case, which raises heavy weight legal questions, it was decided to reopen a shelved case that was vastly investigated by the police a decade ago, based upon new evidence that was submitted by two plaintiffs, while submitting a new civil claim. Golan was represented by our firm and after much professional legal work, the case was shelved.
• The sinkhole drowning case: This is one of the most horrendous drowning cases the country has ever known. A man tragically drowned as a sinkhole opened in a swimming pool he was in. The firm represents the pool’s maintenance personnel, who was investigated with warning for causing negligent death.
• Malka Leifer: Our firm represented Ms. Malka Leifer pertaining to her extradition to Australia. This is the largest extradition case (7 years) which is highly publicized. This precedential case determined many important rules regarding extradition law, and is the first one in Israel in which the extradition proceedings were stopped on the grounds of mental situation of the extradition candidate. When they were renewed, our firm managed complex evidentiary proceedings, including cross examination of State psychiatrists. The Supreme Court accepted our position according to which she is not an impostor and doesn’t suffer from a mental illness.
• “Gibiu Holdings”: A complex securities case, according to which the company’s functionaries are suspected of a large-scale embezzlement and crimes according to the securities law.
• H.B.: An indictment of extraordinary scope which covers fraud and money laundering offences that amount to around NIS1 billion. Simultaneously, the firm accompanied the extradition proceeding which was managed against Mr. H.B. in Italy.
• Julian Sofir: Acquittal in the case of the taxi driver’s murder.