Israel

McGuireWoods’ depth of experience derives from the more than 40 years our lawyers have been serving clients in this country. We advise clients on foreign investment issues, both for Israeli companies that wish to expand their presence in the US and Europe and otherwise do business outside of Israel, and for US, UK and other non-Israeli companies that wish to develop a footprint or invest and do business in Israel. In connection with that advice, we work closely with the Israeli private equity, venture capital and fund industries. In particular, we advise on premium and standard listings on the London Stock Exchange, and admissions to trading on AIM in London, the NYSE and NASDAQ in the US, as well as a variety of international and regional stock exchanges, including, with the assistance of local counsel, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Our close collaboration with local law firms helps us to manage these inward and outward transactions among the US, UK and Israel, including advising many operating company clients on the everyday aspects of doing business with Israel and addressing a range of matters, including cross-border taxation.

Additionally, McGuireWoods offers enhanced value to clients through our non-exclusive cooperation with Israeli law firm Shenhav Konforti Rotem & Co. (SKR), a relationship we have enjoyed for a number of years, and with other firms. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, SKR maintains a full-service practice that spans branch offices in Upper Galilee in the northern part of Israel, an area known for its innovative commercial high-tech, clean-tech and biotech industry clusters, and in the southern part of Israel.

With our experience in the clean-tech and energy industries, focused through the firm’s multidisciplinary energy industry team, coupled with local, regional and international offices in key energy-related hubs, we are able to provide special access to Israeli companies interested in those fields, particularly offshore natural gas. We also lend our support to Israeli high-tech industry growth initiatives on the global stage, whenever possible. Through our water resources industry team, we look to support Israel’s world-class water technology industry. Also, the firm, through the multidisciplinary approach of our life sciences industry team, concentrates on the legal needs of companies that develop, manufacture and distribute pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biological products, particularly recognizing the growth and importance of the Israeli biotech and pharmaceutical industries, both internally and internationally.

We represent large, well-established, multinational conglomerates, as well as small, innovative start-up companies attempting to develop products based on recent discoveries in biology. These companies often operate with support from venture capital. The firm also serves a number of midsize companies, particularly in the medical device arena. The firm provides a range of legal services, all of which are relevant for Israeli biotech companies, including intellectual property, financing, regulatory issues, commercial litigation, labor and employment, contract, mergers and acquisitions, and product liability defense.

Through McGuireWoods Consulting, our full-service public affairs subsidiary, we assist Israeli companies with government relations matters in the US and help them have a voice in shaping US legislation affecting their businesses and industries. McGuireWoods Consulting is located in Washington, D.C. and numerous US state capitals, as well as in Europe.

Our lawyers and consultants maintain relationships with the American Society for Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Chicago, the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce, UK Israel Business and the British Israel Lawyers Association (BISLA).