Martin Paisner

A distinguished figure in the world of law, Martin Paisner has been a devoted benefactor of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. As a son of the Founding Chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation in the UK, Martin Paisner was raised to value the principles of Zionism. Continuing in his family's tradition, he has been instrumental in the creation of many Jewish and Israeli related charity organizations in England.

Born and raised in England, Martin Paisner attended the Sorbonne in Paris and subsequently Oxford University for his MA and obtained his LLM from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the United States.

Martin Paisner qualified as a solicitor in January 1970 and in 1972 became a partner with Paisner & Co, a firm which had been founded by his late father and which merged with Berwin Leighton to form Berwin Leighton Paisner in May 2001 and later merged with a US-Based firm known as Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner as of 2018. He has specialized throughout his career in the areas of private client practice and charity law.

His great love of Israel has led Martin Paisner to serve on the boards of many institutions.

He serves as a member of the International Board of the Weizman Institute and a member of its Executive Board along with serving as the current Chairman of Weizmann UK. He was previously Chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation and currently continues a trustee. He remains a member of the Board of the Joint and Chairman of the JDC Israel division. He is an Honorary Fellow of (a) Queen Mary, University of London, (b) King’s College, London, and (c) Worcester College, Oxford. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Glasgow and the Weizmann Institute of Science. He also serves as Governor of the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies, a trustee of Shaare Zedek UK, member of the Board of the Pincus Fund, member of the Advisory Council of the New Israel Fund UK and a trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust.

His knowledge of the philanthropic world, combined with his understanding of the needs of Jerusalem, have enabled him to raise the necessary funding for the creation, expansion and renovation of institutions such as the Golden Era Home for the Aged, Aleh, the Misholim Therapy Center, the Ein Yael Living Museum and the Jerusalem YMCA.

Martin Paisner has also been appointed a Commander of the British Empire. His ceaseless efforts on behalf of Israel have won him recognition and honor, most notably as the recipient of the Teddy Kollek Award for his significant contributions to the City of Jerusalem.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish People, Martin Paisner was named an Honorary Fellow of Reichman University in 2007.