Opher Shafir & Co.

Opher Shafir & Co. is an established and highly regarded legal company that provides legal services mainly addressing administrative civil law and municipal and public law. Opher Shafir & Co. provides services to local authorities, municipalities, local councils, regional councils, government ministries, water and sewage corporations, local committees, cooperative associations, community centers, Mekorot, IMI and public and private companies. Practice areas include all local authority and municipal corporation issues: planning and building law, municipal taxes (rates, development levies and construction fees), labor law, contracts, business li-censes, civil and administrative litigation, real estate and assets, supporting and consulting on infra-structure projects, etc. Opher Shafir & Co. is a renowned, boutique legal company specializing in legal services to local authorities and other agencies in the municipal arena and offers a unique combination of insightful understanding and all round expertise for a very broad package of services.

About the Company

Opher Shafir & Co. was founded by Adv. Opher Shafir, Adv. Inessa Goldenberg and Adv. Amir Birnbaum in 2005 and is located in Rehovot Science Park. Since its inception, the company has developed and grown professionally to include a highly dedicated team of 15 lawyers and interns experienced in municipal administrative cases, all ably supported by a devoted administrative team.

Practice Areas

Planning and Building – Planning, management and approval of urban plans, parcellation and re-parcellation plans, licensing procedures, allowances and exceptional uses, betterment fees, compensation suits for value reduction, etc.

The firm serves as a legal advisor to local planning and building committees as well as being a member of the consultancy team for the Interior Ministry’s reorganization of planning and building committees. Additionallythe company provides routine support and consultation concerning planning and building issues for local authorities and Mekorot national water company and represents clients in proceedings before the planning and building district appeals’ committees, the national council for planning and building, courts for administrative affairs and the Supreme Court.

Expropriation – Managing expropriation proceedings including Land Registry legislation, implementation procedures (parcelling, dividing and consolidating), compensation for expropriation and re-zoning. The firm’s lawyers represent clients in legal and arbitration proceedings related to compensation suits, the legality of expropriation, forcible takeover procedures and managing arbitration.

Contracts and Obligations – Litigation services, drafting agreements and documents for local municipalities, while providing a broad overview of the issues at hand, including tax and appraisal concerns. Drafting tender documents utilizing different financing methods, and consulting tenders committees on publishing tenders and choosing winners. Reviewing agreements and conducting negotiations regarding terms and conditions.

Real Estate and Property – HHandling and managing legal aspects of real estate transactions on public or local municipality’s land, preparing tenders for marketing and selling of land, implementing parcellation and registering land rights, managing obligations and obtaining approvals from the tax, planning and licensing authorities. The firm manages all reporting and registration aspects, registering shared properties and representing contractors, mainly in projects for high-density construction. The firm’s team of lawyers is experienced in providing expert opinion reports and advising municipalities and private clients on real estate issues.

Municipal Tax – Providing advice and representation in municipal taxation issues including rates, fees, development and infrastructure levies, betterment fees, etc.

Municipal, Water and Sewage Corporations – Founding municipal corporations including joint corporations for development and commerce, founding water and sewage corporations, overseeing the joining of local authorities to water and sewerage corporations, founding public NPOs and providing routine advice on all issues including tax, installing principles of establishment fees, rights, labor law, real estate etc.

Labor Law – Litigation and advisory services for the private and public sector including terms of employment, retirement, pension, collective agreements, tenders, etc.

Municipal Authority Arrangements – Advisory services on formal proceedings and municipal mechanisms such as managing election proceedings, defining and supervising authority and rights of elected officials, joint work with government ministries, etc. The firm’s team is skilled in handling these issues before statutory forums and courts.

Public and Administrative Law – Advisory services on public and administrative law issues for local municipalities and private bodies, on a range of subjects including welfare, education and elected internal bodies. The firm represents clients before judicial and administrative forums and courts, including the Supreme Court.

Budgetary and Financial Management – Management and representation regarding municipal budget issues and financial decision making.

Bylaws – Drafting and formulating municipal bylaws, from inception till final approval and publication. This includes oversight of the calculations of obligatory payment rates for institutions, authorities and agencies approved by the State.

Adv. Opher Shafir

Graduated from Bar-Ilan University Law Faculty and was party to writing the local authorities bill (municipal tax). Author of the books entitled: “Local authorities development fees and levies”, “Water and sewage corporations (with Adv. Natali Shmuelli-Maudi). These books encapsulate the latest changes in municipal tax and infrastructure development rulings and reforms in Israel’s water and sewage sector, and are widely quoted in many new rulings and breakthroughs. Adv. Shafir is a highly sought out lecturer in different litigation arenas and was responsible for coordinating the academic course for increasing local authority revenue in 2005.
Adv. Shafir frequently lectures in front of various forums and instances, including Bar Ilan University’s certified courses; local authorities’ certified courses; lectures in local authorities’ treasurers’ associations; Mafam courses; State comptroller courses; professional courses for local authorities and more.
Adv. Shafir and the firm’s team provide legal counsel to local authorities, regional planning and construction committees, and represents them in all legal proceedings and the various courts.
In addition, Adv. Shafir and his firm’s team represent and counsel various institutions, including governmental companies and private clients in the firm’s field of expertise.