In the middle of last week, at the last moment, at the end of the injury time, Doron Barzilai decided to join the tight race for the presidency of the Bar Association. Barzilai, 53, the former head of the bureau and the last one to serve a full term there, and was not involved in huge scandals like those who followed him, felt that he was unable to sit on the sidelines and watch the organization he headed deteriorate into the abyss.

In his opinion, to make sure this does not happen, he led the process of disqualifying Efi Neve's candidacy in the election committees, on the grounds of illegally submitting digital signatures, and not on the basis of his criminal conviction. As of this moment, the committee has decided to discuss the disqualification of Noah's candidacy – and Barzilai can register his first victory on the way to conquering the bureau and restoring its image. At the same time, his opponents claim that in the past he has already proven that he does not want any move that could get him there: force, negative campaigning, dirt and manipulations.

A river of bad blood has flowed between Noa and Barzilai for the past 18 years, but their relationship actually began with a brave friendship. "I brought him into public action," he says in the spacious meeting room of his office, Doron Barzilai Co. in Tel Aviv. "He was elected head of the Central District thanks to my activity, and unfortunately I quickly realized that what interested him in fact was to undermine me and step into my shoes and position."

Barzilai is aiming for the day after his election as head of the bureau in 2005, when he defeated his predecessor Yuri Guy Ron. Noah was sent on his behalf to negotiate with him for cooperation in order to unify the bureau, but (according to him) he discovered to his surprise that they both conspired against him. "He established a forum of districts against me, and started building a second bureau with Yuri within the bureau, so that Efi would succeed me. Today this could not happen, because the Bar Association law is different."

So now you are taking revenge on him.
"Absolutely not. After I finished my position and he was chosen to replace me, I wanted him to succeed, because the bar is very important to me and I did everything for his success. At the same time, Efi Neve is a convicted felon and symbolizes everything that the attorney's office should shun. The bureau needs integrity, continuous and transparent contact with the Knesset and the justice system, a beacon of justice, and cannot continue to be the object of ridicule and jokes, when a person who heads it has been convicted of crimes.

"He himself testifies that he had problems all along with his judgment, with the border police, with what was known as 'sex for an appointment' and now with submitting a list of signatures to the election committee, which do not meet the criteria for required verification. Each time he judges himself. Efi is not fit for the position and will It's good if he doesn't face him."

Complaints to judges
The defeat against Noah in the elections sent Barzilai back to work as a full-time lawyer. "On the one hand, I was not involved in the bureau's affairs. I thought that his success was my success. I said that I was putting all things behind me and when he retired from the bureau after the 'borders affair' it stung and hurt me.

It was close to the planned election date and I knew that there were worthy people who could replace him, such as Zion Amir, and I rallied to help him get elected, so that he would lead the bureau to worthy places. Unfortunately, Zion was not elected and then I decided to go back to the council and bodies in the bureau. The Bar Association is an important body. I joined it in 2003 and I was there for most of my adult life."

One of the first things Noah did, when he became the head of the bar, was to cancel one of the flagship moves led by Barzilai, the "judges' feedback", an annual rating, in which the lawyers gave scores to the judges before whom they appeared, which infuriated the judges who opposed the introduction of the "rating culture" into the system The trial resulted in the confiscation of Barzilai.

"I thought and I still think that the judges' feedback could have advanced the system. President Grunis boycotted me and everyone rallied in Neve's favor against me."

Do the judges have such an influence in the bar?
"To them as well, to the prosecutor's office, to many factors. Certainly when they boycott my conferences and go to Effie's."

Noah can appeal the disqualification, win and return to the race.
"There's no problem. He can appeal. He wasn't able to collect the 550 signatures required properly. I managed to collect 750 signatures in two days. Justice should be equal for everyone, certainly at the attorney's office. The contest is between Efi Neve, an unworthy person, whose past, if elected, will reflect on the office, and there is Amit Bakr, whose line he leads scares me. He is waving the flag against the legal revolution, and has turned the Chamber into a weapon against the government and acts irresponsibly."

Did you go out to demonstrate with the "robe struggle" against the reform?
"I didn't go out to demonstrate in other demonstrations either. I'm not a member of the 'Robe Struggle' nor at work or in Likud. The head of a bureau must not paint himself a certain color."

In your opinion, the Bar Association will not be harmed by the legal reform?
"The discussions should not be on platforms, but in closed rooms. Bachar was not even once in the Knesset and did not speak with the Minister of Justice and did not pass any legislation for the lawyers' community."

This is because the government did not deal with anything, except the coup d'état.
"I was the head of a bar and you can always try and promote moves. The Bar Association is supposed to be in a place where it influences and protects the justice system."

This is what Amit Bacher does.
"He paints everything in black and white and that's a mistake. I'm sure that when I'm elected head of the bureau I can be a bridge. The processes should be done in an intelligent way. He does PR for himself and doesn't work for the bureau. Because he is political, I don't see anyone in the government or the Knesset taking him seriously. He lost the mandate to represent us."

Let's go back to legal reform, you didn't answer me. do you support her
"The reform is very broad. Regarding the committee for the appointment of judges, it is clear that the bar should not be removed from the committee, because the lawyers are the number one consumer of the legal world. We know each and every judge and they are supposed to be the balanced voice. The fact that two people failed in their duties is a shameful error. No You have to throw the baby out with the bath water."

What about the seniority system?
"With all due respect, even though the judges are serious and responsible, I expect whoever heads the supreme judicial body to be the most worthy and correct person professionally and not the oldest person."

Sounds like your account with the judges is still open.
"My relationship with the judicial system is good. When I did the judges' feedback, I wanted to strengthen the judicial system and show that there is no person who cannot be supervised. This is the place to emphasize: the State of Israel has an excellent judicial system, with clean and decent people."

It was said that Efi Neve is a man of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He flatly denied it. Are you, who is considered right-wing, collaborating with him?
"They said everything about me, sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm left. I have friends on the right and on the left."

Are you in contact with Netanyahu?
"I have no ties to Netanyahu."

And with a rival Levin?
I have known him since the time he was on the Bar Council in the early 2000s. There are many things he leads that I agree with and many things I oppose. But it is clear that everything must be in broad agreement."

have you spoken recently
"No".

Labour Exchange
The Bar is a strange hybrid creature. On the one hand, it is a statutory body, and on the other, a representative organization that protects and represents them. A person must be a member of the Bar Association in order to serve as an attorney, and the bar registers, supervises and examines the interns and is responsible for their certification as lawyers and is the one that enforces the disciplinary laws. This mixing of fields makes it a powerful body that is prone to disaster. Barzilai agrees that it needs to undergo a change.
"And in many, many areas. Transparency, efficiency, refreshing in examining the ethics system and seeing things."

Why not transfer the certification of lawyers to the Ministry of Justice, like the certification of lawyers?
"Because as soon as there is transparency, there is no reason why this will not happen. There will be Chinese walls between ethics, judging and certification. In the end, it should be by agreement. The reform does not touch the caseload, nor does it address the diversity of judges. There is no Moroccan judge and our people need judges who come from all walks of life The population. I'm in favor of a broad agreement and dialogue and I'm sure that Yariv Levin also wants to pass things on for the benefit of the public."

He is married plus two and lives in Petah Tikva. Before deciding to jump into the murky waters of office politics, Barzilai consulted with his wife Liat, who was not enthusiastic to say the least. She also knows that this job is thankless.

During his tenure, he was interrogated in Blade 443, on the suspicion that he offered private use of the bar's offices to one of the lawyers. The case is closed, but the insult still stings. "I am now putting all of my energy and money into this contest and I am not doing it to get headlines or to be interviewed by you. When I saw the final list of candidates, I saw before my eyes the end of the Bar Association." And he means the limited list that includes Avraham Lalum, Arkady Aligulashvili and Becher, after Revital Swed announced her retirement.

"I have a lot of plans. I intend to reduce membership fees, make available the legal software that costs a lot of money, at a nominal price, make the databases accessible, hold conferences at cost prices, and take advantage of our buying power as a strong group. Reorganize the professional field, with transparency and accessibility".

And if you don't get elected as the head of the Bar Association?
"The bureau will continue to deteriorate on the slippery slope. My motives are clean. I'm not looking for politics and titles, but to roll up my sleeves and work for everyone."

Attorney Efi Neve's response: "Attorney Doron Barzilai ceased to be relevant in 2011. He is not a real player in the race, so I do not intend to refer to him. As for the digital signatures, the court has had its say and ruled unequivocally that the decision is illegal, unreasonable, without authority, unjust, illogical and which does not add respect to the institutions of the Chamber, both to its body and to the manner in which it was received, therefore I see no need to say much. I wish him great success."