Israel

Recent experience includes:

Corporate

• Azini Capital Partners LLP. Represented Azini Capital Partners LLP on the acquisition of two partnerships that own interests in 16 technology companies located in such areas as the UK, Israel, the United States and the Republic of Ireland. The partnerships were acquired from the private equity firm Apax Partners Worldwide LLP.
• BellSouth. Represented BellSouth in the sale of its 34.75 percent equity ownership in Cellcom, a cellular communications operator in Israel, to Discount Investment Corp, Ltd. (TLV: DISI.TA). Discount Investment Corp. has agreed to pay BellSouth $625 million for BellSouth's entire Cellcom ownership interest.
• Sensus Metering Systems, Inc. Represented Sensus Metering Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of the automated meter reading technology and assets of Nexus Data (Israel) Ltd.
• Invesco Private Capital, Inc. Advised on an investment in an investment fund by Gemini Israel IV Limited Partnership, managed by our client, Invesco Private Capital, Inc.
• Code Securities Limited and Altium Capital Limited. Represented Code Securities Limited and Altium Capital Limited, as UK and US legal adviser, on XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd's proposal to raise $17.8 million through an Open Offer incorporating a UK Placing, an Israeli Private Placement and a US Private Placement. XTL Biopharmaceuticals is an Israel-based biopharmaceutical company developing drugs against hepatitis and is listed on the Official List.

Finance

• Fremont Investment & Loan. Represented Fremont Investment & Loan in a $111 million construction loan to 15 Broad Street, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, controlled in part by Africa Israel Investments, Ltd., an Israeli company.
• Bank Leumi. Represented Bank Leumi in several transactions designed to rationalize and consolidate its US operations, including precedent-setting transfers of its FDIC-insured branches to its US bank subsidiary made possible by first obtaining an innovative ruling from the FDIC under the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking Act.
• Mizrahi Bank. Represented Mizrahi Bank in US matters relating to its privatization by the Israeli government and the subsequent sale of its New York bank subsidiary to Safra National Bank.
• Israeli Bank Trade Association. Represented the trade association of Israeli banks in the multifaceted government relations effort to obtain approval from the IRS for Israeli banks to become "qualified intermediaries" under new IRS withholding regulations, overcoming significant obstacles posed by Israel's inclusion on the FATF list of non-cooperative countries.
  Securitization
• Rabobank International. Represented Rabobank International regarding the structuring and documenting of a $250 million securitization of trade receivables arising from sales of metals by Israeli, US, German, English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Netherlands Antilles subsidiaries of Makteshim Agan Industries Ltd.
• Rabobank International. Represented Rabobank International regarding the structuring and documenting of a $220 million securitization of trade receivables arising from sales of chemicals by Israeli, US, German, English and Dutch subsidiaries of Israel Chemicals Ltd.
• Bank of America, N.A. Represented Bank of America, N.A. regarding the structuring and documenting of a $255 million securitization of trade receivables arising from sales of chemicals by Israeli, US, German, English and Dutch subsidiaries of Israel Chemicals Ltd.
• Bank of America, N.A. Represented Bank of America, N.A. regarding the structuring and documenting of a $150 million securitization of trade receivables arising from sales of metals by Israeli, US, Spanish and Netherlands Antilles subsidiaries of Makteshim Agan Industries Ltd.

Litigation

• AXA Insurance. Represented AXA Insurance in claims by Haifa Chemicals Ltd. and its insurers, Agrochem Insurance Company Ltd., against AXA's insured, Johnson Matthey, arising out of the cleandown of a chemical plant in Israel by Johnson Matthey's subcontractor, RS Bruce Ltd.
• Diners Club International Ltd. Represented Diners Club International Ltd. in a contract dispute and possible arbitration with its franchisees in Israel.
• Lloyd's Underwriters. Represented Lloyd's Underwriters in an investigation as to whether an Israeli insurance broker acted in breach of the terms of a binding authority.
  Intellectual Property
• State of Israel Ministry of Agriculture Research Organization. Represented the State of Israel Ministry of Agriculture Research Organization on certain patent and intellectual property matters.
• Dr. Klaus Bender. Represented Dr. Klaus Bender in a license agreement with Weizman Institute in Israel.

Regulatory

• AM-Safe Aviation. Represented AM-Safe Aviation in obtaining a vehicle safety system Israel PCT National Phase Application.
• Bank Hapoalim. Represented Bank Hapoalim in obtaining regulatory approvals for establishing of Signature Bank, its de novo New York bank subsidiary, and Signature Securities, its US broker-dealer subsidiary. The Federal Reserve approval for Signature Bank was the first time the Federal Reserve found that an Israeli bank was subject to "comprehensive consolidated supervision" and required development of an extensive government relations strategy to address the fact that Israel had been included on the Final Action Task Force's list of countries that are "non-cooperative in the fight against money laundering."