Member Details
Jurisdictions
Israel
Exclusive Member
Real Estate Law
Biography
Russell is one of the founding partners of Livnat, Mayer & Co. – an international law firm based in Jerusalem, Israel. Mr. Mayer specializes in employment/labor law, international corporate, real estate transactions and commercial matters, intellectual property, banking and insurance regulation, joint ventures, finance and trade. He has acquired extensive legal and business experience assisting high-tech and low-tech companies in all phases from incorporation through seed funding and eventually to exit. Mr. Mayer has represented leading international banking institutions and insurance companies in their licensing and regulatory matters. In addition, his experience in the corporate sector and embassy representation has honed his specialty in labor law and its various nuances as they impact both domestic and foreign companies in Israel. Finally, he regularly advises a number of foreign embassies and governments with respect to local Israeli law.
Born in New York, U.S.A., Mr. Mayer received his J.D. degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University in 1981. Before Mr. Mayer moved to Israel in 1990, he served as in-house counsel for major money center commercial banks for over eight years where he specialized in corporate finance, bank regulatory matters and bankruptcy/workouts. After moving to Israel and before founding the firm in 1998, he served as an Advocate/Associate at a large law firm in Tel Aviv for over seven years – from 1990 through 1998, where he specialized in corporate matters, international transactions, real estate, banking, employment law and litigation matters. Russell prolifically authors works on subjects in which he focuses on a day to day basis including the Israeli section of an international treatise on employment law entitled “International Employment Law”, the Israeli section of an international treatise on privacy law entitled “Global Privacy and Security Law”, has co-authored “Joint Ventures in Israel” – International Bar Association Seminar, authored the Israeli chapter of an international treatise on securing debt obligations entitled “International Secured Transactions”, authored the Israeli chapter of an international treatise on antitrust entitled “Mergers and Acquisisitons in North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, Selected Issues and Jurisdictions”, authored an article entitled “Capital Adequacy Requirements for Israeli Banks: the Impact of the Basel II Accord” in the international banking law publication – Law and Financial Markets Review, is a regular contributor of legal articles to Times of Israel Newspaper and was for many years a regular contributor of legal columns to YNET On-line Newspaper and Connections Magazine. He is a lecturer on legal matters at AACI and Nefesh B’Nefesh. Russell was instrumental in drafting revisions to the U.S. Uniform Commercial Code with respect to payment systems.
Mr. Mayer is a member of the Israel Bar and the New York State Bar and is a member of the Israel Bar Association’s Committee on Intellectual Property as well as its Banking Law Committee. He is fluent in Hebrew and English.
In his “spare time”, Russell is an auxiliary police officer in the Israeli police with the rank of Master Sergeant and was until recently, a volunteer medic in the Magen David Adom Ambulance Corp.
Firm Description
Our firm was founded in 1998 by experienced, enterprising, and energetic lawyers who brought together broad and diverse experience as well as training from major international and domestic law firms and leading financial institutions. We are engaged in a broad, general commercial practice with an emphasis on real estate, labor/employment, corporate, commercial, securities, intellectual property, banking, litigation and trusts and estates.
Our mission is to provide top quality legal services in a practical and efficient manner bringing to bear the judgment, common sense and expertise of superbly trained business-minded lawyers. Unlike many other legal practitioners, we act as more than mere scriveners. We initiate, structure arrange, and guide transactions from conception through closing. We are devoted to the principal that lawyers should not stand in the way of a business deal but, rather, are entrusted with the solution driven responsibility to make difficult transactions a reality.
We consistently succeed for our clients through our ingenuity, determination and skill. Our ultimate goal is to foster and establish long term relationships with our clients and the individuals behind them. experienced, enterprising and energetic lawyers who brought together broad and diverse experience as well as training from major international and domestic law firms and leading financial institutions.
A Tradition of Excellence
The Small Firm Difference
We have extensive experience in advising on, and executing, a broad range of sophisticated transactions and strategies for clients. We provide uncompromising representation to companies and entrepreneurs. Our experience and expertise are combined in a small firm practice that is dedicated to advising businesses and business people for the large business world.
As a small firm with extensive experience, we can provide a cost-effective means of handling both complex and basic business transactions and litigation. As a result, our practice specializes in providing in-depth attention to clients and their matters. Our stream-lined approach, combined with our high professional standards, ensures the economic efficiency of our firm and guarantees added benefits to our clients.
We pride ourselves on maintaining on-going counseling relationships, based upon the well earned trust and confidence of our clients and in being responsive, courteous and professional.
Broad Scope of Experience
We recognize that it is impossible to deliver the highest quality services in all fields and, therefore, we have chosen to target our efforts and resources on providing a wide range of services and solutions for the corporate and commercial fields. Below is a brief list of some of the areas and types of transactions with which we have experience.
Start-ups, Incorporation, Transactions And Structuring
Employment Issues
Real Estate Purchase and Sale, Development and Zoning – including Commercial and Personal Leases
Elder Care, Wills and Estates
Bank Regulatory Matters for Foreign Banks and Insurance Regulatory Matters for Foreign and Domestic Insurance Companies
Commercial Litigation (including complex, international disputes)
Intellectual Property, Technology Development and Licensing Arrangements Regarding Cutting Edge Technologies
Trademark Registration, Maintenance, and Licensing; Copyrights Issues
Acquisition and Sale of Businesses
Representation of Embassies and the issues specific to them
Bankruptcy and Restructuring
Privacy and Technology
We establish long-term value added relationships with our clients, assisting them in all facets of their businesses. We strive to achieve the fullest possible understanding of the business objectives of our clients. This approach gives us a better understanding of our clients’ needs and goals, enabling us to provide them with superior legal services on transactional matters, as well as valuable input with respect to their strategic planning. We often act as a trusted sounding board against which clients can seek feedback for their ideas and business strategies. We endeavor to assist clients in devising more advantageous ways of accomplishing their goals.
