Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attorney Boaz Ben Zur reportedly will not represent the Likud chairman in an ongoing corruption trial should the judicial reform legislative process continue, Walla reported on Monday morning.
The firm Ben Zur, Corb & Co declined to comment on the report.
Ben Zur represents Netanyahu in "Case 4000" fraud, breach of trust and bribery trial, in which the prime minister is accused of a quid pro quo with Bezeq telecommunications for favorable coverage on the Walla news site.
Another lawyer in Case 4000, Jack Chen was reported by Channel 13 as having demonstrated against the judicial reforms Sunday night. Chen represents Former Bezeq and Walla owner Shaul Elovitch and his wife, and had in the past been an attorney for Netanyahu.
Joint letter against the reform
Much of the private legal sector was up in arms on Monday over the reform as many of the largest Israeli law firms - issuing a joint letter against the reform. The firms included Meitar Law Offices; Epstein Rosenblum Maoz; Arnon, Tadmor - Levy; Naschitz, Brandes, Amir & Co; and Edinast, Ben Natan, Toledano & Co. with Hamburger Evron.
The joint letter said that rule of law meant obedience to court rulings and called on the police commissioner, IDF chief of staff, Mossad head, State Comptroller, Bank of Israel CEO and other heads of major Israeli governmental institutions to stand against the reform.
The firms called upon the public servants "to protect the rule of law and defend democracy. If any of you are fired, removed from your position, or suffer harassment, due to fulfilling your legal duty to respect court rulings and to protect the rule of law -- we'll stand beside you and aid pro bono."
Yoav Gallant was removed from his post as Defense Minister on Sunday night by Netanyahu, after Gallant called for the cessation of the reform legislation. The calls to respect court rulings come after multiple ministers and MKs have made statements about rejecting High Court of Justice rulings in a scenario in which the justices struck down judicial reform laws. Opposition members have also increased their calls for the Court to cancel the reform laws should they pass.
On Monday, the Judicial Selection Committee bill was approved by the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to be sent to the Knesset for its final readings.
Hundreds of lawyers demonstrated in front of Tel Aviv courts on Sunday as part of the Bar Association's protest against the bill, which would see Bar panelists removed from the Judicial Selection Committee.
"The representatives of the Bar have never been in anyone's pocket," said new Bar head Amit Bachar. "Their removal from the committee is a blatant expression of harming the professionalism of the selection of judges and turning the matter into a political one."