In recent years, there have been many regulatory and legislative changes relating to the environmental law field in Israel. These changes resulted in the unique and widespread development of new environmental regulation, alongside the updating of existing legislation and the advancement of its enforcement by the various authorities, headed by the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. Prominent factors of this legislative trend are the internalization of external costs principle and the imposing of extensive reporting obligations.

The firm provides legal services, consults and represents clients in various matters relating to environmental regulation.

The activities of the firm’s Environmental Law and Sustainability Department are based on the interdisciplinary perception of environmental law as a field which relates to all of the firm’s other fields of practice. The department operates in collaboration with the firm’s legal teams which specialize in the fields of civil and criminal litigation, energy and infrastructure, planning and construction, commercial law, including domestic and international transactions, real estate, banking and more.

The attorneys represent clients regarding various issues in the field of environmental regulation, and provide legal consulting and representation before the relevant government authorities and ministries (local councils, municipalities, the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Israel Ministry of Health, the Israel Ministry of Interior, the Israel Ministry of National Infrastructures, planning and construction institutions, the Israel Water Authority and more) in licensing proceedings, administrative petitions, criminal proceedings and administrative enforcement proceedings relating to environmental law; advise on statutory proceedings and assist companies and corporations in the development and implementation of internal enforcement environmental plans; conduct due diligence prior to the execution of transactions, as well as handle all contractual obligations regarding environmental aspects; represent clients in class actions, indictments and tort claims relating to environmental aspects, represent corporate executives who are obligated through personal liability for environmental violations; and more.

The legal teams regularly consult clients regarding statutory proceedings in the environmental law field, including the formation and execution of active regulatory initiatives in the early stages of the regulatory process, and represent clients in hearings and proceedings before the various government authorities and more. In addition, the firm advises on the formation and implementation of internal environmental enforcement plans, targeted to minimize the company’s exposure to criminal and administrative sanctions.

In addition, the legal teams advise on complex commercial transactions and conduct due diligence prior to the execution of transactions. Among others, the attorneys review all contractual obligations relating to environmental aspects during the acquisition of corporations or industrial companies which are regulated by environmental laws, administrative provisions and environmental regulations; and advise on large-scale real estate transactions with a dominant environmental component.