The Kobi Bar-Lev law firm provides a full range of specialized environmental legal and regulatory counsel and services, ranging from planing and due diligence to administrative appeals and litigation, including supreme court representation, as detailed below.
Our firm is ranked among the top environmental law offices in Israel by both Duns and BDI. Our clients include international commercial firms and governmental agencies, alongside Israeli corporations and industrial associations.

Founder and managing partner Kobi Bar-Lev served in key positions at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, including legal counsel at the Industries Division and at the FOI department, and Senior Adviser to the Ministry’s Director General Dr. M. Hern and later Gen. (Retd.) S. Avital. He also served as the State of Israel’s representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Bar-Lev took part in formulating the policies of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and in their realization through enforcement actions (both administrative and criminal) and via dozens of major and minor political and regulatory initiatives. In addition, Bar-Lev served as a director of the state-owned company Ariel Sharon Park, one of the biggest environmental rehabilitation projects in the world, and was a member of the inter-ministerial committee to develop methodologies for rehabilitation of polluted land based upon Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA).

At the Israeli Bar Association Bar-Lev served as chairperson of the Bar's environmental law committee and as the personal representative of the Bar Association’s president to parliamentary committees and government ministries dealing with environmental issues. He has also represented companies from the energy and industrial sectors before these regulatory councils, as well as at courts.

After leaving government service Bar-Lev served as partner and department head for environmental law at a number of general services Israeli law firms, before setting up his own law firm specializing exclusively in environmental law and regulation.

Recent years have seen a fast growing body of environmental laws and regulations in Israel, and increasingly aggressive enforcement, including a now-common practice of holding corporate officers personally accountable. While this is a vital step towards protecting the environment for all of us, the constantly-evolving regulatory system leaves many corporations, officers and investors at serious risk through lack of knowledge and unwitting non-compliance.

At the same time, regulatory and enforcement changes create many new opportunities for business and investment, be it through various incentives being offered or through changes in pricing and value for existing companies and assets.

The Kobi Bar-Lev law firm provides several key services, including:

Internal Compliance

• Mapping the regulatory requirements relevant to the corporation, including local by-laws and ordinances.
• Conducting internal surveys of regulatory compliance within the corporation.
• Producing action plans for the correction of regulatory faults
• Introducing complience into the corporation’s work procedures, and providing required training and advice to various stakeholders.
• Providing ongoing internal monitoring of regulatory compliance.

Advising New Projects

• Providing environmental regulations advice from the earliest planning stages up to project completion, and beyond.
• Obtaining the full range of environmental permits and approvals, and working to expedite and to expand these permits to their fullest possible extent.
• Planning ‘waste limitation at source’ and recycling projects.
• Incorporating renewable energy aspects and benefits.
• Work with the water and waste agencies to set fees, setup, and other aspects.

Representation at Administrative, Criminal and Monetary Proceedings

• Responding to regulatory and legal notices of action.
• Advice and representation at hearings and preliminary procedures of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
• Attending suspect questioning by the Green Police and the Department of Sea and Shore.
• Representation at legal proceedings related to environmental issues.
• Dealing with monetary sanctions for environmental infringements, including appeals and requests.

Investment and Partnership Advice

• Providing potential investors and partners with reports on the relevant environmental factors and their impact
• Highlighting value and pricing impact of issues such as land contamination or regulatory compliance, and of possible incentives and benefits.
• Conducting due diligence examinations to check for hidden environmental risks and for current compliance.

Legal advice and litigation

• Specialists in environmental laws and regulations, and in the relevant procedures and agencies.
• Preparation of legal opinions for court and administrative actions.
• Representation before class-action lawsuit requests.
• Representation at administrative actions.
• Litigation at all levels of court.
• Representation of both corporations and individuals.
• Advice on proposed government regulation and its impact.

These are our capabilities and our credentials – call us to discuss what we can do for you:

+972-73-2119111
+972-54-5733223
[email protected]