Ronit Alper, Law Firm

Ronit Alper, Law Firm is a leading boutique law firm specializing in all aspects of planning and zoning. The firm offers a comprehensive legal package, including licensing proceedings, representation before planning authorities and courts, handling expropriations and compensation, urban renewal, and expert legal opinions. Our services are characterized by full availability, uncompromising professionalism, and personally tailored solutions.

Adv. Ronit Alper, Former Chairwoman of the Central District Planning and Zoning Committee

The firm was founded in 2022 by Adv. Ronit Alper, an experienced legal expert with 25 years of experience, and former chairwoman of the central district planning and zoning committee. Adv Alper is an authority in her field, authors and co-authors articles and professional publication in various media, and lectures in academic forums, the Appraisers Chamber and the Israel Bar Association. In her firm, she offers personal and professional service of the highest level with full availability at all hours.
The firm is currently experiencing significant growth, representing a diverse clientele ranging from prominent real estate developers and commercial companies to private landowners. The practice provides close legal counsel for large-scale projects.

Extensive and Comprehensive Experience in Planning and Zoning

Adv. Alper started her professional career in a private-market law firm, where she worked for 15 years, practicing planning and zoning law. Over the years she became a partner of the firm and established its planning and zoning department. In the framework of her practice, she has represented numerous public institutions, including municipalities, local committees, commercial and public companies and private clients. Some notable clients include the Petach Tikva Municipality, Rehovot Municipality, Israel Railways, CTS, the Fuel Companies Association and more.
Extensive Legal Services to the Petach Tikva Municipality, Rehovot Municipality and Israel Railways.
Throughout her years in the firm, Adv. Alper provided legal services to the Petach Tikva Municipality. She provided hundreds (and more) of legal opinions on planning and zoning matters, participated in the weekly session of the local planning and zoning committee and their preparatory meetings, facilitated plan promotions and permit proceedings, managed large-scale compensation cases (devaluations and expropriations) and represented the local authority before planning institutes and courts of all levels, from planning and zoning appeal committees and up to the Supreme Court.
During her years of work in the office Adv. Alper provided legal services to Israeli Railways. In this framework, it represented Israel Railways before various courts in compensation lawsuits on grounds of devaluation and expropriation. Also Adv. Alper provided legal services to the municipality of Rehovot. In this framework, she provided oral and written legal opinions, participated in the weekly sessions of the local planning and zoning committee’s session and their preparatory meetings, facilitated plan promotions and permit proceedings, and represented the local authority before planning institutes and courts of all levels. In addition to these notable clients, Adv. Alper provided legal counsel, assistance and representation in all aspects of planning and zoning to numerous other clients, from both the public and private sectors.

7 Years of Service as Chair of a District Appeal Committee

In 2015-2022, Adv. Alper chaired the Central District Planning and Zoning Appeals Committee. In the framework of this role, she discussed and ruled on a wide variety of issues and matters pertaining to permits, planning, betterment levies, compensations and planning and zoning, which in many cases gained extensive media attention, were praised by the professional community and approved by the highest appeal courts.

A Big-Picture View of All Aspects of the Planning and Zoning

Upon her retirement from public service, Adv. Alper founded a private firm that practices planning and zoning (plans, permits, expropriations and Compensation), including handling and representing in legal proceedings in statutory institutes and courts, legal assistance and opinions, mediations and arbitrations. Adv. Alper’s former public and private roles and the unique interfaces with senior levels in various planning institutes and decision-making junctions, provide her with deep familiarity and a bird’s view perspective of all aspects of planning and zoning.

Numerous Diverse Files

Ronit Alper, Law Firm is currently handling numerous diverse cases, including the representation of landowners in the Atarim Square plan, representation of landowners in betterment levies proceedings relating to the PT/2200 masterplan, accompanying the promotion proceedings for a detailed plan for building a residential/employment/commerce complex in Tel Aviv, on the grounds of an active flour mill, accompanying plan promotion proceedings in Tiberias, Kfar Yona, Holon and Pardes Hana, representation of rights owners in betterment levy cases pertaining to the Quarter 3 plan in Tel Aviv, representation of landowners in objections to plans in the industry zones of Kiryat Arye and Sgula in Petach Tikva, handling betterment cases in the HaEleph plan of Rishon LeZion, handling legal objections before the ILA, handling various devaluation claims due to numerous infrastructures plans including the Metro, the railway, road expansions and more.

Notable Cases Across the Years

In a significant case it was ruled that MAMAD areas are not subject to betterment levies. Alternatively, it was determined that there is no payment obligation for MAMAD areas in combination transactions—a ruling with immense economic impact for developers and owners.
A Precedential Supreme Court Ruling – Aridor vs. Petach Tikva Municipality – Adv. Alper represented the municipality against an expropriation lawsuit. The case started in the district court and was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled for the first time that expropriations are subject to a 7-year prescriptive period. In light of the precedential nature of this ruling and a disagreement between the judges as to when the prescriptive period begins, another session was conducted with an expanded 7-judge panel, which determined that the grounds for a lawsuit are created no later than the moment when the public entity seizes the expropriated property.
Expropriation Case Riob et. al vs. Petach Tikva Local Planning and Zoning Committee – in this case it has been ruled that expropriation compensation may also be granted through construction rights.
Expropriation Lawsuit – Israel Railways Ltd vs. Sabakh Beit Ada – Adv. Alper represented the local committee of Petach Tikva in a case where it has been ruled that in a case of cumulative expropriations under various laws, the local committee would be exempt from compensating for expropriations under the Planning and Building Law up to a rate of 40%.
Devaluation Lawsuits – Adv. Alper represented in numerous devaluation cases, including, for example, a lawsuit of compensations amounting to more than NIS 25 million by more than 100 landowners along the light rail track in Petach Tikva, versus the Petach Tikva Local Planning and Zoning Committee and NTA Ltd.; and compensation claims amounting to about NIS 1 billion against the Petach Tikva Local Committee, due to the approval of district master plan 21/3, which allegedly devaluated their properties as it reduced their planning potential.