Law Office of Shamai Leibowitz

Areas of Practice:

Criminal law
Immigration law
Contract law
Civil rights law
Legal Translations

Professional degrees:

Master of Laws (LL.M.) from American University Washington College of Law (2005)
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Bar Ilan University (2000)

Shamai Leibowitz was born in Haifa and grew up in Beer Sheva, Israel. He served in the Israeli army in a tank unit. After completing two years of aeronautical engineering in the Technion, he earned his LL.B. law degree from Bar Ilan University in 1999. He served as a legal intern at the Public Defender Office in Nazareth, where he assisted in the representation of Jewish and Arab indigent defendants.

After being admitted to the Israel Bar in 2000, Leibowitz practiced law for several years. He was an associate in the well-known law firm Eilon Oron & Co., representing hundreds of defendants before all levels of Israeli courts, including the Supreme Court. Leibowitz then opened up his own practice, focusing on criminal law, immigration law and general practice. Leibowitz represented criminal defendants in a wide variety of offenses, including murder, manslaughter, fraud, DUI, illegal entry, and more. He also represented undocumented workers in petitions for release from detention and in employment and benefits lawsuits. He filed more than ten habeas corpus petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court resulting in the release of undocumented workers and asylum-seekers from prolonged detention.

In 2004, Leibowitz received a full scholarship to study at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. He earned his Master of Laws degree and graduated summa cum laude in 2005, having completed internships at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2008, Leibowitz became a member of the New York Bar.

Visit the LinkedIn profile of Shamai Leibowitz

News

May 8, 2010 - Magistrate Judge Lifts Gag Order on Arrest of Ameer Makhoul, the Director ot Ittijah- the Union of Arab Community-Based Associations. Following a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Adalah, Judge Einat Ron lifted the gag order imposed to hide the May 6 arrest and detention of Palestinian-Israeli leader Ameer Makhoul. His arrest, based on undisclosed "security-related" charges, had been reported by several Israeli blogs and by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. UPDATE: Haaretz reports that Israeli government is suspecting him of spying and ties to Hezbollah. His lawyers say that Israeli syping laws are overly broad, and any email or telephone conversation with Lebanese is viewed as espionage.

April 12, 2010 - Illegal Alien Wins Appeal to Treat Son for AIDS: Israeli Supreme Court allows an undocumented alien from Africa to remain in Israel to treat his son who is suffering from AIDS. The alien, a former UN worker who remained in Israel after being terminated by the UN, petitioned the District Court to grant him a temporary visa to pursue medical treatments for his son, but the District Court denied his petition. Ruling that this decision unfairly and unreasonably ignored the best interests of the sick child, the Supreme Court overturns the decision, and grants the father and son permission to remain in Israel at least for one year, following which the State must examine the minor's health situation, and make a new determination on extending his visa.

News