Shibolet & Co.

Shibolet & Co. is an Israeli full-service commercial law firm headquartered in Tel Aviv. The firm advises companies, investors, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, public bodies and other organizations on a broad range of corporate and business matters. Its work is centered on corporate law and the legal needs of commercial enterprises operating in Israel or across borders, with practice areas extending into transactions, regulation, finance, technology, intellectual property, employment, dispute resolution, tax, private wealth and other specialist fields. The firm was established in 1973 by Richard Roberts, Amnon Shibolet and Yaakov Israeli, who had met while studying law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem during the 1960s. The origin story associated with the partnership describes Shibolet and Roberts meeting Mizrahi Bank chief executive Aharon Meir shortly before the Yom Kippur War and preparing a list of prospective clients on the back of a business card. That document became an early expression of the proposed firm’s partnership arrangement. Shibolet grew through a series of combinations with other Israeli practices. In 1987, Yaakov Israeli initiated what is described as Israel’s first law-firm merger, bringing his practice together with Shibolet & Roberts. A further combination in 2006 with the practice of Moshe Neeman and Revital Ben-Artzi expanded the firm to approximately 70 lawyers, including 18 partners, and prompted a move to Tel Aviv’s Museum Tower. That year, the firm represented the privatization of Ashdod Oil Refineries, described in the reference material as Israel’s largest privatization at that time, at a value of NIS 3.5 billion. In 2007, the partnership adopted the shorter name Shibolet & Co. Its previous name incorporated the surnames of several constituent practices, including Shibolet, Israeli, Roberts, Zisman, Neeman and Ben-Artzi. The shorter identity emphasized the partnership as a collective institution rather than a list of individual founding names; the new name was selected by lottery among the founders. Later combinations included Zeligman & Co. in 2009, Israeli–Ben-Zvi in 2014, and Rabin, Magriso, Benkel in 2018. These developments broadened the firm’s capabilities and contributed to growth to more than 210 lawyers in the period described by the reference material. Its specialist coverage came to include medical technology, privacy and data protection, customs, import and export, international trade, maritime insurance, tenders, gaming, United States taxation, family law, wealth management and inheritance planning. The firm’s public profile also includes workplace, social and civic initiatives. It introduced a workplace sustainability guide in 2008 and launched the Time Out program in 2022 to promote work-life balance. Shibolet allocates part of its lawyers’ billable time to pro bono work and has supported organizations including Beit HaGalgalim, Israeli Spirit, Shavot, Ramat Hadassah Youth Village, Keren Shemesh, the Ra’anana Symphonette Orchestra and the Other Lesson project. Following the October 2023 attacks and ensuing Israel–Hamas war, it supported AMCHA and Ayalim. The firm also opposed the Israeli government’s proposed judicial overhaul in 2023 and provided legal assistance after the October 7 attacks. Shibolet is described as having more than 280 lawyers, including 107 partners, and as consistently ranking among Israel’s leading law firms since 2018. The firm has received recognition from Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000 across multiple practice areas. In 2025, Ofer Ben-Yehuda was appointed managing partner.

Shibolet & Co. was founded in Israel in 1973 by Richard Roberts, Amnon Shibolet and Yaakov Israeli. The founders had met while studying law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the 1960s. The firm’s founding story links its creation to a meeting shortly before the Yom Kippur War between Shibolet and Roberts and Aharon Meir, then chief executive of Mizrahi Bank. During that meeting, the lawyers reportedly wrote a list of potential clients on the back of Meir’s business card; the list subsequently served as the basis for the new partnership’s founding agreement. The practice initially developed as a commercial law firm and expanded through combinations with other legal practices. In 1987, Yaakov Israeli initiated a merger between his firm and Shibolet & Roberts. The transaction is described as the first law-firm merger in Israel. Each practice reportedly had about 18 lawyers at the time, making the combination an important step in the consolidation of the Israeli legal-services market. A major expansion occurred in 2006, when Shibolet combined with the practice of Moshe Neeman and Revital Ben-Artzi. The enlarged firm reached approximately 70 lawyers, including 18 partners, and moved to the Museum Tower in Tel Aviv. The firm also handled a significant national transaction that year by representing the privatization of Ashdod Oil Refineries. The transaction was valued at NIS 3.5 billion in the source material and was described as Israel’s largest privatization at that point. In 2007, the firm changed its name from the much longer Shibolet, Israeli, Roberts, Zisman & Co. & Moshe C. Neeman, Ben-Artzi & Co. to Shibolet & Co. The change reflected an effort to present the practice as a unified partnership rather than as an accumulation of historical surnames. According to the reference material, the new name was chosen by lottery among the founders. The following decade brought additional mergers and expanded specialization. Shibolet merged with Zeligman & Co. in 2009, with Israeli–Ben-Zvi in 2014, and with Rabin, Magriso, Benkel in 2018. These combinations increased the firm’s scale and added or strengthened practices in regulation, medical technology, privacy and data protection, customs, import and export, international trade, maritime insurance, tenders, gaming, United States taxation, family law, wealth management and inheritance planning involving wills and trusts. The firm was described as having grown beyond 210 lawyers during this period. Shibolet’s development has also included internal and community-oriented initiatives. In 2008 it launched what the source describes as Israel’s first workplace sustainability guide. In 2022 it introduced the Time Out program, focused on work-life balance. The firm allocates a portion of lawyers’ billable hours to pro bono work and has supported a range of social, educational, cultural and community organizations, including Beit HaGalgalim, Israeli Spirit, Shavot, Ramat Hadassah Youth Village, Keren Shemesh, the Ra’anana Symphonette Orchestra and the Other Lesson project. After the October 7, 2023 attacks and during the ensuing Israel–Hamas war, the firm provided legal aid and contributed to AMCHA, which supports trauma prevention among soldiers and reservists, and Ayalim, which works to support southern Israeli communities. Shibolet also participated with other major Israeli law firms in establishing STAND WITH HUMANITY, a global lawyers’ network focused on information and legal defense relating to allegations of human-rights violations and breaches of the laws of war. In the same period, the firm publicly opposed the proposed Israeli judicial overhaul. By the period covered by the reference material, Shibolet had more than 280 lawyers, including 107 partners, and was headquartered at the Rubinstein Twin Towers in Tel Aviv. It had received recognition from Chambers and Partners since 2004, including individual recognition for 11 lawyers, and was ranked by The Legal 500 and IFLR1000 across numerous practice categories. In 2025, Ofer Ben-Yehuda became managing partner.

• 2025

  Ofer Ben-Yehuda becomes managing partner

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Ofer Ben-Yehuda was appointed managing partner.

• 2022

  Time Out workplace program

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Shibolet launched an initiative intended to promote work-life balance.

• 2018

  Merger with Rabin, Magriso, Benkel

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The combination further increased the firm’s scale and expanded its practice capabilities.

• 2014

  Merger with Israeli–Ben-Zvi

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The firm broadened its partnership through a merger with Israeli–Ben-Zvi.

• 2009

  Merger with Zeligman & Co.

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Shibolet expanded through a combination with Zeligman & Co.

• 2007

  Adoption of the Shibolet & Co. name

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The partnership adopted its shorter current name to emphasize its collective identity.

• 2006

  Neeman and Ben-Artzi combination

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The firm merged with the practice of Moshe Neeman and Revital Ben-Artzi, growing to about 70 lawyers and relocating to Museum Tower in Tel Aviv.

• 2006

  Ashdod Oil Refineries privatization

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Shibolet represented the privatization of Ashdod Oil Refineries in a transaction valued at NIS 3.5 billion.

• 1987

  First major law-firm merger

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Yaakov Israeli initiated a merger between his practice and Shibolet & Roberts, described as Israel’s first law-firm merger.

• 1973

  Firm founded

  [1]Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Richard Roberts, Amnon Shibolet and Yaakov Israeli established the Israeli law partnership that became Shibolet & Co.

A large, full-service Israeli commercial law partnership positioned around corporate and transactional work, broad specialist coverage, and support for local and international business activity.

• Legal services

  Corporate and commercial law

  The firm’s core offering covers the legal needs of commercial companies and institutions, including corporate structuring, governance, transactions, commercial agreements and advice for local and international business operations.

• Legal services

  Regulation, technology and data protection

  Shibolet advises clients on regulatory matters and technology-related legal issues, including medical technology, privacy and data protection. These practices support businesses operating in regulated and data-intensive sectors.

• Legal services

  International trade and customs

  The firm provides counsel on customs, import and export, international trade and maritime insurance, serving businesses whose operations involve cross-border movement of goods, services and risk.

• Legal services

  Private wealth and family law

  Its private-client work includes family law, wealth management and inheritance planning, including wills and trusts. The practice addresses personal, intergenerational and family-business legal needs.

• 2022Time Out

  Israel

  The Time Out program was introduced to promote work-life balance within the firm.

  Outcome. The program became one of the firm’s identified workplace initiatives.

  Source
• 2008Workplace sustainability guide

  Israel

  Shibolet launched an initiative described as Israel’s first workplace sustainability guide, linking its internal workplace practices with environmental and organizational sustainability.

  Outcome. The initiative is cited as part of the firm’s workplace and community-responsibility development.

  Source
• Pro bono and community support

  Israel

  Shibolet allocates a portion of its lawyers’ billable hours to pro bono work and supports social, educational, cultural and community organizations.

  Outcome. Reported beneficiaries include Beit HaGalgalim, Israeli Spirit, Shavot, Ramat Hadassah Youth Village, Keren Shemesh, the Ra’anana Symphonette Orchestra and the Other Lesson project.

  Source

• 2023

  Opposition to the proposed judicial overhaulOther

  Background

  Israel’s proposed judicial changes generated substantial public and institutional debate.

  Action taken

  Shibolet publicly opposed the proposed judicial overhaul.

  Source

• 2023

  Humanitarian and legal response after October 7Strategy

  Background

  The October 7 attacks and subsequent war created legal, humanitarian and public-information needs.

  Action taken

  The firm provided legal aid, supported AMCHA and Ayalim, and participated in establishing the STAND WITH HUMANITY global lawyers’ network.

  Aftermath

  The initiatives extended the firm’s civic and pro bono activity during the conflict period.

  Source

• 2007

  Adopt a unified partnership nameStrategy

  Background

  The firm’s former name combined the surnames of several founding and merged practices and had become lengthy.

  Action taken

  The partnership adopted the shorter name Shibolet & Co., selected by lottery among the founders.

  Aftermath

  The new name presented the practice as a collective firm rather than a collection of individual legacy names.

  Source

1. 1Shibolet & Co.en.wikipedia.org