Jerusalem—One of the newest and biggest trends in the corporate world of the 21st century is outsourcing—letting an outside group manage part or a department of a company at a much lower cost than hiring employees directly. This model has already been commonly adopted for less expensive janitorial help, or streamlined human resources for smaller companies. Larger service companies have for years been outsourcing their customer service jobs to third-world countries where labor is much cheaper (leading to fun technical support conversations with exotic people who barely speak English). In general, outsourcing, while cheaper, does not usuaabroad and locally. In general, outsourcing, while cheaper, does not usually yield a better product than insourcing. However, a new trend of outsourcing is starting to become more popular, one where the cheaper price doesn’t involve a compromise in quality; the outsourcing of legal services to developed countries. This is becoming especially prevalent in Israel, where a sizeable population of olim are fluent English speakers and certified lawyers both abroad and locally.

Ely Kronenberg, who clerked at Lowenstein Sandler LLP in Livingston NJ, reached out to Dov Schwell when he and his wife were on a pre-aliyah pilot trip, and was offered a job at SWA, which was then “still in its infant stage.” Once they moved, Ely was hired at the firm, which has since grown to include over 16 attorneys, all olim and religious Jews. “I’m very lucky to be able to work in such a supportive environment with smart attorneys who also prioritize midot in the courtroom,” Ely said, adding “It’s especially great to be working in Jerusalem, such an amazing city.”

Many times, outsourcing services to overseas companies will lead to problems with time differences. However, SWA attorneys are available during both Israeli and American business hours, and using modern technology, they are able to be accessible to customers worldwide when needed.

When asked what he loves the most about living in Israel, Ely answered that he very much enjoys raising his kids there, and is happy that they have such an amazing opportunity to grow up in Israel. “I often have moments to remind me ‘this is why I’m here,’ like a few weeks ago when my son’s chumash party was held in Ma’arat Hamachpela (Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron). It is truly a blessing to live and breathe in the same place that our forefathers lived, where there’s so much Jewish history.” Ely did mention, however, that he does miss attending live sports games for his teams in New York, but besides for that, he just misses his family and friends from Bergen County.

Ely concluded his interview with the following message: “I’m very fortunate that I have the opportunity to live here in Israel and be happily employed. One of the biggest concerns of those who want to live in Israel is parnassah. While this is legitimate, things usually have a way of working out, and if someone has any serious thoughts about living in Israel, don’t let fears of what could be or what may be hold you back. Just follow your dreams.”

Ely Kronenberg is a member of the Corporate and Securities practice groups at Schwell Wimpfheimer & Associates, focusing on general corporate transactional work, corporate securities and bankruptcy. He can be reached at ekronenberg_swalegal.com or 646-328-0791.

By Tzvi Silver