Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co.

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. is a leading litigation firm engaged in complex, largescale and high-profile cases, including class actions and shareholder derivative actions, mainly in the fields of commercial law, corporate and securities law, banking law and competition law.

The firm’s clients include banks and other financial institutions, public companies among the largest in Israel, leading private companies and Big Four accounting firms. In addition, the firm represents prominent individuals in the business sector, shareholders, directors, and officers in large and well-known corporations and corporate groups in the Israeli market, leading attorneys, etc.

The firm generally handles large-scale and significant cases in sums amounting to hundreds of millions and sometimes billions of Shekels, mainly before the District Courts and the Supreme Court of Israel. The firm has been a party to judicial proceedings which resulted in significant precedents, such as the adoption of the “Business Judgment Rule” to the Israeli corporate law by the Supreme Court. It was also involved in the legislative proceedings of the Class Actions Law.

The firm has been ranked for years by the ranking guides BdiCode and D&B at the top tier in both the commercial litigation and class actions fields. In addition, the firm is ranked by BdiCode as one of the three leading boutique law firms in Israel in all fields, out of 300 ranked firms.

The amount of cases the firm takes on is relatively small, in order to allow a careful, thorough, and profound treatment of each case. Each of the cases is handled by a team lead by one of the firm’s partners.

Class Actions

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. has a particular focus on class actions, and was one of the first Israeli law firms to specialize in representing defendants in this field. The firm represents defendants in the various areas in which class actions are filed in Israel, such as corporate and securities law, banking law, competition law and consumer law.

Shareholder Derivative Actions

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. represents directors, officers, external advisors to companies etc. in motions for discovery preceding derivative actions and in motions to certify derivative actions filed against them. The firm also represents directors, officers and external advisors before special litigation committees, established to examine whether there are grounds to file suit against them. Additionally, the firm represents corporations in motions to certify derivative actions on their behalf and in motions for discovery preceding derivative actions against them. 

Other lawsuits in the field of corporate and securities law

In addition to class actions and derivative actions in the field of corporate and securities law, Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. handles shareholders disputes, claims for unfair prejudice of shareholders, professional liability claims against directors, officers, external advisors etc., proceedings against capital market authorities and more.

Banking

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. represents banking institutions and officers in banking institutions in complex proceedings, including class actions and derivative actions, in largescale claims by business customers, and in disputes with other financial institutions.

Competition

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. handles proceedings which raise significant issues in the field of competition law, including within motions to certify class actions.

Complex litigation in additional fields

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. handles complex commercial disputes in proceedings of various types, proceedings which raise significant administrative law issues (including petitions to the High Court of Justice), and white collar cases pertaining to securities and capital market.

Nir Cohen, Leshem, Ben-Artzi & Co. – Partners

Nir Cohen: Graduated from Tel Aviv University (LL.B. cum laude). Admitted to the bar in 1986. A Partner in the firm since its establishment.

David Leshem: Graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (LL.B. cum laude). Admitted to the bar in 1990. A Partner in the firm since its establishment.

Amir Ben-Artzi: Graduated from Tel Aviv University (LL.B. cum laude). Admitted to the bar in 1995. A Partner since 2000.

Dr. Elad Peled: Graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (LL.B. cum laude), New York University (LL.M.), Haifa University (Ph.D.). Admitted to the bar in 2004. A Partner since 2020.