Our Practice:

As one of HFN’s most distinguished practice areas, the Banking and Finance department has a proven track record of advising clients in all types of banking and finance transactions. The department is known for its versatility and unmatched capability in providing clients with solutions at the highest level.

The Banking and Finance department is recognised as the leading practice in Israel by international and domestic legal directories such as Chambers Global, Legal 500, IFLR 1000, PLC Which Lawyer?, Dun & Bradstreet’s Dun’s 100 and BDI.

Our Work:

HFN’s Banking and Finance department has a wealth of experience in providing the full spectrum of services in complex domestic and international transactions. The department is routinely called upon to handle the most sophisticated and intellectually challenging matters in the Israeli market.

Services include advising Israeli banks lending to Israeli borrowers, Israeli banks lending to foreign entities outside of Israel and foreign banks lending to Israeli borrowers. The department operates in three main areas: debt financing, regulatory banking and derivatives and financial products. Speciality areas of practice are:

• Loan transactions – advising borrowers, lenders, arrangers and agents in connection with local and cross-border loans, loan syndication, consortium arrangements and security issues
• Acquisition financing – structuring and negotiating the financing aspects of mergers and acquisitions
• Aviation financing – advising local and international lenders, guarantors and lessors on aviation related matters for different types of aircraft such as large passenger/freight aircrafts and executive jets
• Structured financing – advising investors and lenders in the securitisation of various assets
• Regulatory issues – advising banks and financial institutions with respect to regulatory issues arising in Israel, including licensing of local branch and representative offices of overseas financial institutions and the permitted activities of overseas “wealth managers” in Israel
• Derivatives and financial products - the department advises on complex financial derivatives, including multicurrency, commodity/interest rate swaps and other products, for a diverse group of clients.

In addition, the Banking and Finance department presently advises all three Israeli “Leverage Funds” which were established in cooperation with the Israeli government and other financial institutions to inject additional capital into the Israeli capital markets.

Our Team:

The Banking and Finance department is led by senior partner Alan Sacks. Alan has represented all of the major financial institutions operating in Israel over the last two decades. The department’s lawyers are dedicated to a variety of areas of specialisation. Irit Roth joined the firm as partner after serving for 11 years as general counsel to Citibank in Israel. Partner Eliot Sacks is Israel’s leading practitioner in the area of derivatives and financial instruments.