Adv. Chen Ishai specializes in various aspects of planning and construction law, infrastructure, local government, municipal taxation, and proprietary and planning litigation. In this capacity, Chen accompanies his clients through planning procedures, licensing processes, betterment levy requirements, and compensation claims for plan damages, providing ongoing legal counsel to developers and infrastructure entities in objections, appeals, administrative petitions, civil lawsuits, administrative and criminal injunctions, and more.
Chen has accumulated extensive experience in accompanying rights-intensive projects throughout Israel, and he supports some of Israel’s largest developers in advancing planning procedures – from the initial phase, through drafting planning documents, promoting the plan with planning institutions, representing the developer in objection and appeal procedures, to plan approval and implementation.
In addition, Chen accompanies developers in complex licensing procedures and provides legal solutions for the full range of challenges facing projects, including drafting and promoting design plans, advancing permit applications, ongoing engagement with planning committees, managing objection procedures, preparing planning-legal opinions, handling indemnification letters and commitments, and more.
Chen represents his clients in civil and administrative litigation related to the real estate sector before all courts and tribunals, from local courts, magistrate courts and district courts to the Supreme Court. In this capacity, Chen handles recalcitrant tenant lawsuits in urban renewal projects; filing objections to planning institutions on behalf of developers and private clients; planning appeal procedures before district appeal committees and the National Council; complex legal procedures regarding betterment levy obligations and compensation claims under Section 197; comprehensive administrative petitions concerning planning and licensing procedures; administrative and criminal demolition orders, and more.
Alongside the above, Chen accompanies large-scale national infrastructure projects, particularly in the natural gas sector, where he serves as legal counsel for several natural gas distribution companies. He accompanies them through the complex planning, coordination, and execution procedures that characterize their business operations, including their ongoing engagement with planning institutions, municipal authorities, parallel infrastructure entities, the Natural Gas Authority (the regulator), and private landowners.
Chen also represents several local authorities on various legal-planning-proprietary issues, providing them with ongoing legal counsel, specific opinions, and support in planning and legal procedures.
Among Chen’s clients are some of Israel’s largest and leading real estate and construction companies, developers, private individuals, public entities, local authorities, and major infrastructure bodies.
M.A. (cum laude), International Relations, University of Haifa, 2015
LL.B., University of Haifa, 2015
Israel Bar Association, 2016
“This is the best team. Orna Verhovsky and Chen Ishai are professional, creative lawyers, who are dedicated to the clients.”
The Legal 500, 2025
