Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz

Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz (“Pearl Cohen”) is an international law and patent attorneys firm with offices in Israel (Tel-Aviv, Haifa), the United States, (New York, Los Angeles, Boston), and the United Kingdom (London). Due to the firm’s unique global presence, it has an extraordinary reputation dealing with cross-border issues in the areas of commercial law (Hi-tech transactions, capital markets, M&A, taxation), litigation, and intellectual property, a field in which the firm is considered to be the leading and most distinguished in Israel. Pearl Cohen employs over 350 people, of which 210 are lawyers, patent attorneys, and scientific consultants with diverse professional and academic backgrounds. The firm represents businesses, technology-oriented companies, and investors from both local and international markets, including Fortune 500 and small-cap emerging companies, startups and entrepreneurs, companies traded on Israeli and worldwide stock markets, academic research institutions, and government-related entities. The firm’s international team and global offices work together seamlessly to provide clients with integrated legal services, advising on Israeli, the U.S., and European legal issues.

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property

Patent Group - The Firm’s Patent Group is the largest in Israel, with more than 55 patent attorneys and agents employed across the Israel, U.S. and UK offices. The Patent Group has unique capabilities in the provision of complete and comprehensive solutions to clients, from the construction of an IP strategy, through its implementation by writing and prosecuting patents, then integrating them into the company’s business strategy, and finally monetizing them through litigation, acquisition, or sale. The Patent Group also represents investors in the evaluation of patent portfolios for investments, loans, mergers and fundraising transactions. The group’s patent attorneys and agents hold advanced technical degrees and industry experience in a variety of fields such as engineering, telecommunications, software, semiconductors, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, mechanics, and physics. Led by Adv. Patent Attorney Zeev Pearl, Adv. Patent and Attorney Mark Cohen.

Trademark & Brand Protection - The Trademark Group protects some of the world’s most famous trademarks and brand owners and has significant expertise in registering, protecting, and enforcing trademark rights against competitors, counterfeiters, and parallel importers. Led by Adv. Dor Cohen Zedek, Adv. Yossi Markovich and Adv. Todd Braverman.

Licensing & IP Transactions - The Licensing Group represents leading companies, start-ups, and leading academic institutions in a wide range of technology licensing, sales and cooperation transactions. The group’s team specializes in technology and patent licensing transactions (representing both licensors and licensees), technological inter-company cooperation with an emphasis on representing start-ups before multinational corporations, technology-intensive asset transactions, and research and cooperation agreements with academic institutions. Led by Adv. Yael Baratz, Adv. Patent Attorney Mark Cohen Adv. Patent Attorney Zeev Pearl and Adv. Hili Rashkovan.

Internet, Software & Cyber Law - The Internet Group is one of the leaders in its field and is responsible for several prominent legal precedents. The group’s attorneys provide legal services to a wide range of clients, including telecommunication companies, internet access & service providers, banks and financial institutions, insurance companies, retail chains engaged in mobile and online sales, copyright holders, portals and content sites, e-commerce ventures, companies offering computer and internet services, publishers, unions and technology companies. The group also utilizes its knowledge and expertise in innovative technology to offer legal advice regarding information privacy and data protection. Led by Adv. Haim Ravia.

Commercial Services

Hi-Tech, Venture Capital, and Angel Investors - Pearl Cohen represents many entrepreneurs, start-ups, and technology companies operating in Israel and abroad, along with VCs and Angel Investors. The hi-tech group brings together extensive knowledge of the legal aspects involved in the establishment of venture capital and private equity funds and investments and loans from seed to public issuance. The team has a profound understanding of the business and technology ecosystem in which its clients operate, enabling perfect customization of the legal solutions for the clientele’s business environment – in all stages of their projects’ business development. In addition, the Pearl Cohen team specializes in establishing investment funds in a wide variety of industries. Led by Adv. Doron Latzer, Adv. Atir Jaffe, Adv. Guy Lachmann and Adv. Oded Kadosh.

Capital Markets & Securities - The Capital Markets & Securities Group provides legal services in the U.S. and Israel on all aspects of securities transactions, Israeli and SEC compliance, business finance, and public offerings on NASDAQ, NYSE, TASE and other stock exchanges. Pearl Cohen is also known as a pioneer in dual listings and represents companies, investment banks, strategic investors and large shareholders on a wide range of international capital market matters. Led by Adv. Ilan Gerzi and Adv. Masha Berkovits.

Mergers & Acquisitions - Pearl Cohen’s M&A Group is renowned for its proficiency in structuring, negotiating, and closing mergers and acquisitions and derivative transactions such as spin-offs, tender offers, and leveraged buyouts. These activities are carried out in close cooperation with the firm’s Taxation Group and Antitrust Group, to provide a comprehensive response for relevant and important issues arising from such transactions. Led by Adv. Yael Baratz, Adv. Guy Lachmann, Adv. Ilan Gerzi and Adv.Oded Kadsoh.

Business Relocation and U.S. Immigration - The U.S. Relocation Group, located in Pearl Cohen’s New York office, represents the firm’s clients before the U.S. immigration authorities upon relocation of their business to the U.S. and during the relocation of individuals and their families due to work-related matters. The group is also proficient in cross-border business transactions, focusing mainly on mergers and acquisitions and capital raisings from foreign sources to maintain clients’ legal standing in the U.S. Led by Adv. Ari Farkas, Adv. Francine Alfandary and Adv. Kalia Klein.

Taxation - Pearl Cohen’s Taxation Group is comprised of professionals with many years of experience in both the U.S. and Israel. The group supports and advises public and private, local, foreign and multinational corporations, investment funds and institutional investors, on a wide variety of direct and indirect tax matters in Israel, the U.S. and around the globe. The group provides solutions to complex tax issues with a creative and rapid response “tailor-made” for each client, including representation before the Israeli tax authorities and in courts.

Led by Adv. Henriette Fuchs and Dr. Adv. Oz Halabi.

Employment, Benefits & Executive Compensation - The group provides advice on a diverse range of labor issues, including, amongst others, those encountered by technology companies. The Firm is a leader with regards to personal employment agreements as opposed to collective agreements, as customary in traditional industries in Israel, including executive employment agreements, non-competition and confidentiality clauses, and termination and separation agreements. Led by Adv. Kalia Klein, Adv. Sagit Sazgar and Adv. Francine Alfandary.

Real Estate - The Real Estate Group has extensive experience in the initiation and execution of commercial and private real-estate projects and investment ventures in Israel and abroad. The group’s attorneys provide full legal support from the very early stages of a project through to closing, including practical advice on locating potential investors and properties. Led by Adv. Benjamin Baratz, Adv. Sagit Shahmoon.

Infrastructure and Energy - The Firm’s Infrastructure and Project Finance Group consists of reputed attorneys who support Israel’s most complex and well-known projects, from the tender stage, through the financing and financial agreements, ongoing support during the building, operation and maintenance, up until litigation or arbitration, before experts and in all levels of courts. The group provides strategic and tactical consulting during the preparation of lawsuits and defending against them in a wide variety of infrastructure and project finance issues, including train transportation, roads, tunneling, energy (solar, mined, etc.), water, facility construction and more. Led by Adv. Micha Tollman.

Antitrust and Competition - The Antitrust and Competition Group provides advice and solutions for leading companies concerning competition laws in Israel and the U.S., economic supervision, enforcement, and regulatory matters, including issues concerning adjacent legislation. The group supports local and international companies on all aspects of proceedings before the Israeli Antitrust Authority, including approvals, accompaniment of suspects and defendants in antitrust-related criminal, administrative and enforcement proceedings, and counsels on M&A transactions, licensing, class actions and more. Led by Adv. Tzahi Yagur, Dr. Adv. Tal Rotman and Adv. Daniel Melman.

Sports Law - The Sports Group is comprised of first-rate attorneys with vast experience in representing sporting clubs and sportsmen/sportswomen, as well as sporting associations in Israel and abroad. The department has unparalleled experience advising on sporting club investment deals, mediation in designated tribunals in both Israeli and international sports, negotiations and trade agreements about this world, and more. Led by Dr. Adv. Tal Rotman and Adv. Yohai Hurvitz.

Litigation

Intellectual Property Litigation - The Intellectual Property Litigation Group is the leading group for disputes concerning infringement and ownership of patents and other intellectual property, technology licensing, copyright, trade secrets, trademarks, parallel imports, and brand protection. The firm has extensive experience in multiple jurisdictions, ranging from U.S., Europe, and Israeli trial work to USPTO post-grant procedures, their counterpart procedures in Israel and before the European patent and trademark offices. Led by Adv. Yossi Markovich and Adv. Guy Yonay.

Commercial Litigation - As an international law firm with the strong U.S., Israeli and European practices, Pearl Cohen’s Commercial Litigation Group has considerable experience in the area of commercial litigation. The group represents a range of clients, from start-ups to large multinational corporations. The group has extensive in-depth experience in the settlement of corporate disputes, insolvency, liquidations, and receiverships in real-estate litigation. Additionally, the group specializes in the management of securities litigation cases, including disclosure disputes occurring in public issuances, and reorganizations, both in Israel and in the U.S. Led by Adv. Benjamin Baratz Dr. Adv. Tal Rotman and Adv. Guy Yonay.

Insolvency

The department represents in legal advice and litigation at all levels in insolvency proceedings, representing both the banking sector as well as other leading creditors, including stay of proceedings actions intended to protect at-risk corporations and maintain them as going concerns, creditors’ settlements , receivership, liquidation, including voluntary liquidation, and bankruptcy. Led by Adv. Benjamin Baratz, Adv. Israel Bachar and Adv. Omer Kelner.

Banking

The banking department acts on behalf of nearly all the major commercial banks in Israel both representing them in bank related litigation and also in a wide range of legal issues requiring specialized legal knowledge and up to date expertise of current legislation and regulatory requirements for banking. The legal services in litigation on behalf of banks range from high-end debt collection, insolvency cases representation in liquidations and receiverships, creditors’ settlements and representing the banks’ interests in stay of proceedings litigation intended to preserve at-risk entities as going concerns.

Led by Dr. Adv. Benny Baratz, Adv. Israel Bachar and Adv. Omer Kelner.

Foreign Desks

Alongside the firm’s offices operating outside of Israel, including the USA and London, Pearl Cohen engages in an extensive activity in additional foreign countries through several desks: Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Ibero-America, China, Japan, India, Canada, Australia, Germany and France. Pearl Cohen’s teams act as a professional bridge-way into these countries, assisting Israeli and foreign clients in successfully conducting their businesses abroad. Led by Adv. Anna Moshe, Adv. Meny Broid, Adv. Ilana Soloducho, Adv. Hadar Solomon, Adv. Guy Lachmann, Adv. Francine Alfandary, Adv. Oded Kadosh and more.