ZAG believes that each and everyone of us has an obligation to give back to the community in which we live. These values are firmly engrained and drive the firm’s aspiration of improving its community and taking part in building a healthy and productive society. The staff at ZAG considers it not only a duty, but also a privilege, to provide legal services to the less fortunate. Each year, the Firm dedicate significant efforts to pro-bono activities provided to individuals in need of assistance and social organizations.

The firm also provides continued support, through a variety of channels, for many associations and not-for-profit organizations, among them:

"Lev Ohev" - Adv. Shmuel Zysman is the originator and one of the founders of "Lev Ohev" a not- for- profit organization, dedicated to supporting children and youth with special needs or in distress. Lev Ohev provides assistance to thousands of children in Israel, whether through financing medical equipment, rehabilitative care, equipment for boarding schools and special programs, youth and children’s centers, distributing clothes for children in need and establishing music and computer classes around the country.

Israeli Rett Syndrome Center - Adv. Shmuel Zysman is one of the founders of the Israeli Rett Syndrome Center, an active care facility for children with Rett Syndrome. The center works to focus efforts on promoting the treatment, knowledge, research, and training on the syndrome. The underlying goal is to develop a service that provides an overall response to the needs of the patients, the families, and the professionals caring for their medical, educational, and therapeutic well-being.

Tmura Fund - ZAG was one of the first firms to respond to the call of Tmura’s founder Yadin Kaufman, and provides sponsorship for the fund’s activities.

Atid - ZAG is among the founders of Adiv, a not- for- profit organization, and has supported and provided it with legal accompaniment since its establishment.

Ilan Ramon Memorial Foundation - ZAG&K has accompanied the Ramon family in all matters related to the commemoration of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.

Ezra Lemarpeh - Adv. Shmuel Zysman is a member of the Association of Friends of Ezra Lemarpeh ( founded by Rabbi Firer).

Bet Or Aviva - The Bet Or Aviva Association is a not- for- profit organization, that was established in 1991 with the support of the Israel Anti Drug Abuse Authority, under the goal of creating and managing therapeutic communities and hostels for rehabilitation from drugs. ZAG&K accompanies the association and provides it with legal support in the variety of its activities.

Access Israel - Association for Promotion of Accessibility and Independence for the Disabled Community in Israel

Appeals to the High Court on Behalf of Access Israel

ZAG&K has appealed to the Israeli High Court of Justice, on behalf of Access Israel, in a demand to enforce the relevant ministries to regulate accessibility of all public services and areas in Israel to people with disabilities. Despite their obligation to submit their regulations to the approval of parliamentary committees under the Law for Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities 1998, no later than May 1, 2006, the ministries have yet to do so. To this date, and as a result of the pressure of the appeal and their accountability to the courts, there has been a significant change in the government ministries approach with respect to this matter.

Evidence of this change can be seen in that the Parliamentary Committee for Labor and Welfare has recently approved the regulations for equal rights for persons with disabilities (accessibility to Bezeq’s services and facilities) 2008. These regulations stipulate that the services provided by communications service providers, such as telephone and the cellular companies facilities, should be accessible to persons with disabilities. The approval of these regulations is only a first sign of a future holding more promise to the hundreds of thousands of disabled persons currently residing in Israel.

ZAG&K has filed an administrative appeal against the Municipality of Tel Aviv with the Administrative Court of Tel Aviv, on behalf of Access Israel. The background for this action was the municipality’s enforcement policy, which instructed parking supervisors to impose fines on vehicles with "disabled" permits parking on the sidewalk.

ZAG&K argued that the policy was arbitrary and in breach of the Disabled Parking Law of 1993, which allows disabled persons to park their car on the sidewalk under certain conditions and in the absence of a near by disabled parking, as long as the parking does not impede or endanger pedestrians. We argued that the new enforcement policy imposed further difficulties and transferred the burden of proof to the disabled individuals by forcing them to prove that they were parking legally,

Instead of requiring the municipality to prove that they were parking in violation of the law. Accordingly, the court was requested to issue a warrant instructing the municipality to adhere to the directives of the Disabled Parking Law and issue parking tickets only to vehicles that are parked illegally.

In a hearing held in January 2008, and due to the pressure of the Court proceedings, the municipality agreed to an interim settlement under which no fines would be imposed on disabled persons for parking on the sidewalk unless they were impeding or endangering pedestrians. This settlement was approved by the Court. The parties have since been negotiating a permanent arrangement that will correspond to the directives of the Disabled Parking Law, in an attempt to reach a compromise that will render the hearing of the appeal unnecessary.( In case the parties fail to reach such a compromise, the hearing has been scheduled for February 12, 2009).

ZAG&K has also filed an appeal to the High Court of justice on behalf of Access Israel against the Minister of Transportation and the Director of Licensing at the Ministry of Transportation. The background of this appeal is the definition of "Disabled Permit" In clause 1 of the Disabled Parking Law, according to which the name and ID number of the permit owner must be clearly on the permit.

Among other claims, the appeal notes that the explicit spelling of the name and ID number of the permit owner, although prescribed by law, constitute disclosure of confidential medical information; and is therefore a breach of privacy, which has been recognized as a fundamental right. The Association has requested the High Court to annul the definition of "Disabled Permit" in clause 1 of the Disabled Parking Law and to instruct the Minister of Transportation and the Director of Licensing to regulate an alternative arrangement.

In a discussion held at the High Court of justice in April of 2008, the Ministry of Transportation declared that the Disabled Parking Law is being revised and some amendments are yet to be completed, including the issue at the heart of the appeal. According to the Minister of Transportation, the Ministry’s policy is not to enforce disclosure or impose fines on permit holders who conceal their personal information, and therefore any permit holder may fold the permit and thus conceal their private information. In correspondence with this declaration, the discussion of the appeal was therefore redundant and the court’s verdict rejected the appeal, subject to the Ministry’s enforcement policy.