Eliya Zunz Koller

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Overview

Practice Areas: Administrative Law Judicial Review Arbitration Class Actions – Commercial Commercial Litigation Dispute Resolution Education Energy Disputes Insurance Disputes Land Use and Real Estate Disputes Product Liability & Tort Shareholder Disputes & Derivative Actions Tenders and Government Procurement Disputes

Industries: Aviation and Transport Energy and Natural Resources Government and Defence Healthcare Infrastructure Insurance

Eliya Zunz Koller specialises in dispute resolution with a strong focus on administrative law and environmental disputes. Eliya has extensive experience defending, challenging or seeking to set aside regulatory, ministerial and governmental decisions, before the full range of Israel’s administrative courts and tribunals, including the High Court of Justice and the Supreme Court.

Eliya represents corporate and public sector clients from a variety of industries, notably: infrastructure, energy, oil, quarries, healthcare, construction, governing authorities and higher education. She is one of the few lawyers in Israel with the expertise and vast experience to advise on the legislative framework applicable to the operation and management of quarries and other extractive industries.

In her administrative law practice, Eliya represents clients in a considerable variety of matters, including: tender disputes, disputed land appropriation (against the Israel Land Authority), financial petitions to the High Court of Justice, class actions and defending the resolutions of various governing bodies in petitions to the High Court of Justice.

Recognised as one of Israel’s leading lawyers in the field of environmental law, Eliya’s experience encompasses advising on environmental and regulatory issues for the minerals and extractive industries and the energy sector as well as for property developers. Eliya is a seasoned actor on the full range of disputes and challenges relating to the development and use of land for industrial and other purposes, including mineral extraction, construction of power projects, construction of infrastructure projects, manufacturing and landfills.

Languages: EnglishHebrew

Admissions: Israel Bar, 1996

Education: Tel Aviv University, LL.B. cum laude, (1995)Tel Aviv University, B.A. in Economics, cum laude, (1995)

Experience

Representing Readymix Industries (Israel) Ltd Group (Readymix) in a petition against the Israel Land Authority in the amount of approximately NIS 100 million, for collection of excess royalties. As a result of incorrect and illegal implementation of policy by the Israel Land Authority.
Representing Paz Oil Company, Ltd., Israel’s largest fuel company, in a civil suit brought against it claiming tens of millions of shekels for damages allegedly caused to the owners of residential and commercial units in a Jerusalem building, constructed using a construction method called “Pal-Kal”, on land that Paz had owned and on which it had initiated the project and sold the units to the plaintiffs.
Defending the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) in multiple civil claims instituted against it for personal injury, potential future health risks, property damage and diminution in value of properties located in close proximity to electrical installations resulting from electromagnetic fields, including defending IEC in a class action relating to extreme low frequency magnetic fields.
Representing Ariel University in legal proceedings submitted to the High Court of Justice to open the Adelson School of Medicine. The petition was filed against Ariel University, the Council for Higher Education in Israel and the State of Israel. Upon conclusion of the preliminary pleadings, the Court ordered the rescission of the petition and the medical school opened upon the commencement of the academic year in October 2019.
Representing the State Comptroller of Israel and the Committee for Giving Permits to Ministers in several petitions submitted to the High Court of Justice.
Representing Readymix in a class action in which the plaintiffs, who lived in the vicinity of a site owned by subsidiary Lime and Stone, had claimed in excess of NIS 40 million by way of compensation for air and noise pollution, nuisance and various other alleged environmental violations.
Representing Maccabi Healthcare Services, one of Israel’s largest HMOs, in a number of petitions before the Supreme Court on matters of principle and financial issues. One such matter comprised judicial review proceedings challenging the State’s method of determining the Cost of Health Index and the funds that the Government allocated to Israel’s HMOs for healthcare. The successful outcome in the Supreme Court led to a major injection of additional government funding for the healthcare sector.
Accompanying IEC at numerous hearings before various regulators, including the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and in planning appeals regarding environmental matters related to the production, transmission and supply of electricity.
Representing Readymix in a series of claims, including a class action and a personal lawsuit, where the plaintiff sued for NIS 246 million on grounds that the company’s concrete did not meet the relevant standard. The claim was not approved as a class action, and the personal lawsuit was also dismissed.
Representing Readymix in a petition to the High Court of Justice against a decision by the Israel Land Authority to exclude the concrete industry from long-term leasing of lands exempt from tender in a National Priority Area.
Representing IEC in a petition filed to the High Court of Justice by the Public Council for the Prevention of Noise and Air Pollution in Israel against the State of Israel and IEC, in which the Court was asked to order the respondents to enact regulations “regarding the maximum permissible exposure levels of humans to radiation from the electricity network”. The possible economic implications of the petition are estimated in the billions of NIS.
Ongoing representation of factories and quarries, in administrative claims against the Israel Land Authority, including regarding rights to land and land allocations.

Recognition

The Legal 500 2020: Eliya was recommended in the fields of both administrative law and environmental claims.
Listed by “PLC Which Lawyer? ” as one of Israel’s leading environmental lawyers.