By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
Even though there are over 25,000 lawyers in the state of Israel, the Israeli-based law firm of Zell, Goldberg and Co. has set themselves apart from the rest. By providing full-service business and litigation services from its home base in Tel Aviv and its office in Jerusalem, Zell Goldberg works throughout the European Union, across the European continent, around the Mediterranean Basin and into Russia.
When the firm opened an office in Kirkland in July 2002, Zell Goldberg became the only Israeli firm to have a presence in the U.S.
“We are the first Israeli law firm to open up a West Coast presence and we chose Seattle,” said Marc Zell, founding member of the FANDZ International Law Group in Washington, D. C.
Zell, Goldberg and Co. is an affiliate of FANDZ.
“High-tech is kind of our watch word and we are really excited at the possibility of having a Seattle office that also gives us access to Portland, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and the Pacific Rim,” Zell said.
The firm hopes to bring its comprehensive body of expertise to the Pacific Northwest and the Jewish business community in the hopes of increasing business connections to Israel.
“We’re a full-service law firm,” said Bernel Goldberg, member of FANDZ since 1994 and the head of the Kirkland office. “We visited all the major cities. There seems to be a lot of potential business here.”
Zell Goldberg is no stranger to firsts. It is the only Israeli law firm to become a member of Eurolegal, a network of independent European law firms. It is also the only member in the 260-member U.S.-Russia Business Council that maintains offices in Israel. Israel is home to over one million Russian immigrants, and the U.S.-Russia Business Council represents most of the businesses that are active in U.S.-Russia trade and investment.
In addition to providing legal services to international clients, Zell Goldberg helps businesses in Israel expand their international presence and gives international businesses options for investing in the Jewish state.
Israel’s economy has suffered under the weight of weakened global markets, a drop-off in tourism since the increase in terrorist attacks and the need for increased security spending.
Israel’s main industries include high-technology projects such as aviation, communications, computer-aided design, medical electronics, agricultural technology, biological technology, software and security.
“When the tech bubble burst,” said Zell, “Israel shared the same fate as the U.S. At the same time, the second intifada broke out. But the Israeli entrepreneurial spirit has not dampened a bit. Israel is a pressure cooker for ideas. They provide solutions to all kinds of problems with technically simple and cost-effective solutions.”
Goldberg says he is committed aggressive growth.
“We started expanding,” said Goldberg, responding to the impact of Israel’s economic pressures on the firm. “We’re trying to set up a Chamber of Commerce between Israel and Seattle. Our faith in the future is evidenced here in Seattle.”
Zell, Goldberg helps Israeli businesses establish a presence in the United States by working with them to navigate management issues, employment law considerations, transfer pricing and taxation.
In addition, the firm provides services in mergers and acquisitions and distribution networks.
The firm also works in the other direction by helping North American and European investors deal successfully with investing in Israel and working with them to understand the Israeli economy, and the social and political environment.
“Doing business in Israel is a very difficult thing because it has a very unique business culture,” said Zell. “In Israel, the government regulates aspects of the economy and the society that Americans consider impossible. We decided to open a company for companies doing business in Israel to cross that cultural divide. We translate across the cultural chasm. You have to translate values, concepts and even body language.”
Both Zell and Goldberg see themselves as problem solvers who devote much of their legal expertise to overcoming barriers to investment and business in Israel.
At the heart of Zell, Goldberg and Co. is two men who moved their families to Israel — and then back to the U.S. — taking with them their Zionist dreams of living a Jewish life while promoting the Israeli economy.
“We’re Zionists,” said Zell. “We moved there to start the law firm because we believe in the Jewish state. We believe we are living in an incredible epic of Jewish history. We hope to at least try to contribute to that grand experiment. Our main headquarters is in Israel and our success depends directly on the success of Israel.”