A boutique Israeli law firm that serves clients abroad handles the steps that must be taken in Israel: property transactions and registration, succession and probate orders, company filings and court cases, and, when the office has a notary, documents for use abroad. Under Sections 20 and 21 of the Chamber of Advocates Law, 5721-1961, only an advocate licensed in Israel may represent others for a fee before Israeli courts and certain authorities, so a client abroad who wants to be represented in these steps needs an advocate licensed in Israel.
Eliyahu & Co. Law Office is a boutique law office and notary in Herzliya Pituach, opened in 2011. It represents clients before Israeli courts, the Land Registry (Tabu), the Israel Tax Authority, the Companies Registrar and the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, in matters of every size: from a single apartment to large commercial transactions, and from a simple succession order to estates in several countries.
The work covers five areas of Israeli law: real estate (purchases, sales, purchase tax and capital gains tax filings, registration, co-ownership and property disputes), inheritance (succession and probate orders, wills, estate disputes), corporate and business law (company formation, foreign company registration, contracts, share transfers), civil litigation (money claims, contract and commercial disputes, personal injury) and notarial services and opinions on foreign law for Israeli proceedings.
At the head of the office stands Adv. Reut Eliyahu, a member of the Israel Bar Association with an LL.B and an MBA, a licensed notary and a registered arbitrator. She handles every matter herself, so clients deal with one person who knows the file. Clients abroad work with the office in English, Hebrew or Spanish, and sign a power of attorney before a notary where they live, with an apostille, or at an Israeli consulate.
📍 Many clients come by referral from former clients. The first consultation is free, by phone, Zoom or at the office. Direct lines: 🇮🇱 +972-74-704-7104 · 🇺🇸 +1 (310) 735-4210.
Purchases, sales, registration and property disputes for clients in Israel and abroad
A property deal in Israel starts with a title check at the Land Registry (Tabu), and where relevant at the Israel Land Authority or a housing company: the lawyer checks who owns the property and which mortgages, liens or warning notes are registered. After the contract is signed, a caveat (warning note) is registered under Section 126 of the Land Law, 5729-1969 to protect the buyer until the transfer, and the sale is reported to the Israel Tax Authority for purchase tax and capital gains tax. When co-owners cannot agree, Section 37(a) of the same law lets any co-owner demand dissolution, and under Sections 39 and 40 the court divides the property in kind where possible and otherwise orders a sale.
Representation for buyers, sellers, heirs and investors in every type of Israeli property matter, from the first title check to registration in the buyer's name, including clients who handle the deal from abroad.
Israeli real estate lawyer →Title checks, contract review and negotiation, purchase tax, mortgage coordination and the registration of the buyer's rights, for buyers in Israel and abroad.
Buying an apartment →The sale agreement, capital gains tax (mas shevach) and exemptions, the approvals the buyer needs, and the transfer of the proceeds to sellers abroad.
Selling property from abroad →Failed sales, double sales, warning-note disputes, eviction and trespass, and claims against developers for delays and defects.
Property disputes in court →Ending joint ownership between heirs, spouses or partners, by agreement or by court order, including for co-owners who live abroad.
Dissolving co-ownership →Registering rights at the Tabu, the Israel Land Authority or a housing company, after a purchase, an inheritance or a new building.
Registration at the Tabu →Succession and probate orders, wills, estate disputes and heirs abroad
Banks, the Land Registry and companies in Israel release or register a deceased person's assets, such as an apartment, a bank account or shares, only against an Israeli order: a succession order when there is no will, or a probate order when there is one, both given under Section 66 of the Succession Law, 5725-1965. Most applications are filed with the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs. A grant of probate, letters of administration or a European certificate issued abroad does not replace the Israeli order, and when the deceased lived abroad, the law of that country is usually proven by an opinion on foreign law.
The full inheritance process in Israel, from the application to the Registrar to releasing bank accounts and registering inherited property, with particular attention to heirs and estates abroad.
Israeli inheritance lawyer →The application for a succession order (tzav yerusha) when there is no will, filed with the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs for heirs in Israel and abroad.
Applying for a succession order →The application for a probate order (tzav kiyum tzava'a), including wills made abroad and wills in a language other than Hebrew.
Probating a will →Drafting an Israeli will in English or Hebrew, and planning how assets in Israel and abroad will pass, so the heirs avoid disputes later.
Making an Israeli will →Objections to a will or to a succession order, disputes between heirs and claims in the Family Court, for heirs in Israel and abroad.
Contesting an estate →Israeli estates of families in California: a California will or trust, the Israeli order, and opinions on California law for the Registrar.
Israeli lawyer for Los Angeles clients →💡 For heirs abroad: the proceedings in Israel are conducted in Hebrew, and the office handles them for you remotely. You sign before a notary where you live or at an Israeli consulate. Book a free consultation in English.
Before signing a contract, filing a claim or answering the other side, a short consultation shows where you stand and what the next step should be. In English, with direct lines in Israel and the United States.
Company formation, foreign companies, shares, contracts and ongoing counsel
A business from abroad can work in Israel in two ways. It can incorporate an Israeli company, which is registered with the Companies Registrar as a new company, or, if it has a place of business in Israel, register as a foreign company under Section 346 of the Companies Law, 5759-1999, with apostilled corporate documents and Hebrew translations. The choice affects liability, taxes and reporting, so it is made before filing. The office also drafts the contracts the business signs in Israel, advises companies on an ongoing basis, and handles share transfers for foreign residents and heirs.
Legal work for founders, companies and investors in Israel: formation, founders' and shareholders' agreements, commercial contracts, transactions and ongoing counsel, in English.
Corporate law in Israel →Incorporation with the Companies Registrar, articles of association, share structure and founders' agreements, including for founders who are not Israeli.
Company formation in Israel →Registering the Israeli branch of a foreign company, or choosing an Israeli subsidiary instead, with the documents and translations the Registrar requires.
Registering a foreign company in Israel →Selling or transferring shares in Israeli companies for foreign residents and heirs, including shares held by a trustee and cases without an active Israeli bank account.
Selling Israeli shares from abroad →Drafting and reviewing supplier, customer, distribution, service and licensing agreements under Israeli law.
Drafting commercial contracts →Day-to-day legal counsel for companies in Israel: annual corporate duties, board and shareholder resolutions, and contracts as the business grows.
Ongoing legal counsel →Money claims, contract and commercial disputes, and personal injury
Most civil claims in Israel are heard in the Magistrates' Court, which hears money claims of up to NIS 2.5 million under Section 51 of the Courts Law; larger claims go to the District Court. A judgment or an undisputed debt is enforced through the Execution Office (Hotza'ah LaPoal). Clients who live abroad can sue or defend in Israel without travelling for every hearing, and a claim against a person or company abroad usually requires service of the claim outside Israel with the court's permission. Many disputes are settled before trial, and a demand letter or negotiation is often the first step.
Representation in civil disputes in Israeli courts, from a demand letter and negotiation to a full trial and enforcement, for claimants and defendants in Israel and abroad.
Civil litigation lawyer in Israel →Collecting unpaid invoices, loans and cheques, by a claim in court or directly through the Execution Office, and enforcing judgments in Israel.
Recovering a debt in Israel →Breach of contract, cancellation and damages under the Contracts (Remedies for Breach of Contract) Law, 5731-1970, in commercial and private agreements.
Breach of contract claims →Disputes between companies, partners and shareholders, interim relief in court, and arbitration, including disputes with a party abroad.
Business disputes in court →Road and motorcycle accidents, work accidents and claims with the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi), and medical negligence.
Injury compensation claims →Notarial certificates, apostilles, powers of attorney, translations and foreign law opinions
A notary in Israel acts under the Notaries Law, 5736-1976: they authenticate signatures, certify copies and translations, and issue certificates that are accepted in Convention countries once they carry an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention. Notary fees are fixed by regulation (plus VAT) and are the same at every notary in Israel. A different service is the opinion on foreign law: in Israeli proceedings, foreign law is a fact that must be proven, so when an estate or a case depends on the law of another country, an opinion explains that law to the Registrar or the court. The office also gives opinions on Israeli law for proceedings abroad.
Notarial certificates, signature authentication, powers of attorney for use abroad, certified translations between Hebrew and English, and the apostille, in English and Hebrew.
English-speaking notary in Israel →Opinions on the law of the US states, Canada, the UK, Australia, European and Latin American countries, for the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs and Israeli courts.
Foreign law opinions for Israeli proceedings →Declarations on Israeli law for courts and lawyers in the US, the UK and elsewhere, when a case abroad depends on Israeli succession, property or company law.
Opinions on Israeli law →
"Every client works directly with me. I check the title, the documents and the tax position before anything is signed, and explain each step in English."
Adv. Reut Eliyahu leads the office with 19+ years of legal experience in real estate, civil, commercial, corporate and estate matters. She holds an LL.B and an MBA, is a licensed notary under the Notaries Law, 5736-1976, and a registered arbitrator, and is a member of the Israel Bar Association.
The office serves clients throughout Israel from Herzliya Pituach, and clients abroad remotely in English, by Zoom and a power of attorney signed where they live. Direct lines in Israel (+972-74-704-7104) and the United States (+1 (310) 735-4210).
Fees are set by the nature of the work and agreed in writing in advance, each step is reported to the client in writing, and the client speaks directly with the attorney. More about the office.
Agreed before work begins
Each step reported to you
Risks checked before signing
Title and document checks
The office represents individuals, families and businesses in Israel and in any country, in every area above, at the Herzliya Pituach office or remotely by Zoom, email and a power of attorney. The Israeli process is the same wherever the client lives; what changes is how documents are signed abroad, the time difference, and sometimes the law of the client's country. Choose your country:
Clients who live in Israel and prefer to work in English, such as new immigrants (olim) and foreign residents, meet at the Herzliya Pituach office or by Zoom. Israelis who moved abroad but still own an apartment, hold shares or are heirs to an estate here give a power of attorney and follow the matter by email and calls. When an estate or a divorce involves another country, an opinion on that country's law is added to the Israeli file.
For American families, the most common Israeli matters are an estate with an apartment or a bank account in Israel, a property purchase or sale, and Israeli shares held by a trustee. An Israeli succession or probate order is needed even when a US court has issued letters testamentary, and the law of the deceased's state is proven by an opinion. Businesses come to form an Israeli company, register a branch or bring a claim in Israel. Documents are notarized in the US with an apostille, calls fit US morning hours, and the US direct line is +1 (310) 735-4210.
British clients usually contact the office about an Israeli property they want to buy, sell or divide, or an estate that includes assets in Israel. An English grant of probate does not cover assets in Israel, so the executors apply here, usually on the basis of the English will, with an opinion on English law. Companies from the UK register a branch or form an Israeli subsidiary, and commercial disputes are heard in Israel. Powers of attorney are signed before a UK notary with an apostille, and meetings are set for UK working hours.
Canadian heirs often learn about an Israeli bank account or apartment only after a parent's death. A certificate of appointment, a grant of probate or a Quebec notarial will does not release those assets, so an Israeli succession or probate order is filed, and the opinion differs between Quebec civil law and the common law provinces. Canada has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 11 January 2024, which simplifies signing documents there. The office also handles property, contracts, claims and company registration for Canadian clients, with calls around Eastern and Pacific time.
For clients in France, the Israeli side usually concerns an apartment: buying, selling, registering it at the Tabu, or ending co-ownership with relatives. When an estate is governed by French law, which reserves a share of the estate for the children, an opinion on French law explains this to the Israeli Registrar or court. Civil claims, debt recovery and company registration in Israel are handled the same way, remotely, in English or Hebrew.
Australian clients work across a large time difference, so calls are usually held in the Israeli morning, which is evening in Sydney and Melbourne. The usual matters are estates with assets in Israel, property deals and disputes, and Australian businesses that open an Israeli company or register a branch here. Opinions on Australian law are prepared for Israeli inheritance, property and divorce proceedings.
Clients in Brazil can speak with the office in Spanish, English or Hebrew. Documents are signed at a cartório with an apostille and then used in Israel for a property sale, a succession or probate application, a claim in court or a company registration. Where Brazilian law applies to an estate, a property matter or a divorce, the office prepares an opinion on Brazilian law.
Clients in Argentina can work with the office entirely in Spanish. A declaratoria de herederos issued in Argentina does not release assets in Israel; an Israeli order is needed, usually with an opinion on Argentine law. Property deals, claims in Israeli courts and company formation are handled remotely, with documents signed before an escribano and apostilled.
Clients in Russia and Ukraine usually need help with an estate in Israel, an apartment that relatives own or want to sell, or a dispute with a business partner here. The office files for succession and probate orders, represents property owners, brings or defends claims in Israeli courts, and registers companies. Opinions on Russian or Ukrainian law are prepared where that law applies to an estate, property or a divorce. Calls are in English or Hebrew.
Clients in any other country, including the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa, use the same services remotely. A foreign certificate of inheritance helps prove who the heirs are but does not replace the Israeli order. Foreign documents used in Israel usually need an apostille, or consular legalization where the country is not a party to the Hague Convention, and a certified Hebrew translation. Opinions on the law of the client's country are prepared for Israeli inheritance, property and divorce matters.
Reviews from our clients, published on Google
Clients review the office on its Google Business Profile. You can read their reviews there, and after we work together, add your own.
The stars in this section are the rating on the firm's Google Business Profile. The rating at the top of the page is the visitor rating for this page only. They are two different measures.
Eliyahu & Co. practises in five areas of Israeli law. Real estate: buying and selling property, registration at the Land Registry (Tabu), dissolution of co-ownership and property disputes in court. Inheritance: succession orders, probate of wills, wills and estate planning, and inheritance disputes. Corporate and business law: company formation, registration of foreign companies, selling Israeli shares, commercial contracts and ongoing counsel for companies. Civil litigation: money claims and debt recovery, contract disputes, commercial litigation and personal injury. Notarial services and opinions on foreign law: notarial certificates, apostilles, powers of attorney, certified translations and opinions on the law of other countries for Israeli proceedings.
In most cases, yes. Most land in Israel is managed by the Israel Land Authority, and under Section 2A of the Israel Lands Law, 5720-1960, a transfer of rights in such land to a "foreigner" (broadly, a person who is not an Israeli citizen or resident and is not eligible under the Law of Return, or a company such persons control) needs the Authority's approval. This is checked before the contract is signed. After signing, a caveat (warning note) is registered under Section 126 of the Land Law, 5729-1969 to protect the buyer until the transfer is registered. Guide for foreign buyers →
When a person leaves assets in Israel, such as an apartment or a bank account, the heirs need an Israeli succession order (when there is no will) or a probate order (when there is a will) under Section 66 of the Succession Law, 5725-1965. The application is filed with the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs. Heirs abroad sign the documents before a local notary or at an Israeli consulate and usually do not need to travel. A foreign grant of probate or letters of administration does not replace the Israeli order. Succession orders for heirs abroad →
In Israeli proceedings, foreign law is a fact that must be proven; if it is not proven, the court presumes it is the same as Israeli law. An opinion on foreign law explains what the law of another country says and how it applies to the case. It is most often needed when the deceased lived abroad and the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs or an Israeli court must apply the law of that country, and also in property and divorce matters with a foreign element. How foreign law opinions work →
A foreign company that has a place of business in Israel registers with the Israeli Companies Registrar as a foreign company under Section 346 of the Companies Law, 5759-1999. The application includes apostilled corporate documents with Hebrew translations and the details of a person in Israel authorized to accept documents on the company's behalf. The alternative is an Israeli subsidiary, which is incorporated as a new Israeli company. Branch or subsidiary in Israel →
In many cases, yes. Shares in Israeli public companies are usually held through a bank, a broker or a trustee, and the sale and the tax withholding are handled through that holder; in a private company, the transfer is recorded in the company's register of shareholders and reported to the Companies Registrar. Heirs first need an Israeli succession or probate order. We handle the Israeli legal side remotely and coordinate the transfer of the proceeds abroad. Selling shares as a foreign resident →
Yes. Adv. Reut Eliyahu is a notary licensed under the Notaries Law, 5736-1976. The office authenticates signatures, certifies copies and translations, and issues notarial certificates and powers of attorney for use in Israel and abroad, and arranges the apostille. Notarial services are given in English and Hebrew, and notary fees are fixed by regulation (plus VAT). Notary fees and apostilles →
A lawyer represents and advises a client. A notary is a neutral official who authenticates signatures, documents and translations. Under the Notaries Law, 5736-1976, a notary in Israel must be a lawyer with at least ten years of practice, and under Section 10 a notary may not act in a matter of their own or of a relative, partner or employee. Many cross-border matters need both: a lawyer for the case, and a notarial certificate with an apostille for the document used abroad.
The order is usually set by the law, not by the client. Inherited assets in Israel, including an apartment or shares, are released only after a succession or probate order is issued, so the inheritance step comes first. After the order, the property can be registered in the heirs' names, sold or divided, and inherited shares can be transferred or sold. One attorney handling all the steps can help avoid repeating documents and keep the timeline clear.
The Israel Bar Association keeps a public register of advocates, which can be searched by name on its website. Only an advocate licensed in Israel may represent others for a fee before Israeli courts and authorities such as the Land Registry and the Companies Registrar, under Sections 20 and 21 of the Chamber of Advocates Law, 5721-1961.
Filings with Israeli courts and registries are made in Hebrew. Documents are explained to you in English before you sign them, and correspondence with the office is in English, Hebrew or Spanish. Foreign documents filed in Israel usually need a certified Hebrew translation, and Israeli documents used abroad can be translated and certified by the office's notary.
Yes. The first consultation is by phone, Zoom or at the office, and it is free. Clients abroad sign a power of attorney before a notary where they live, with an apostille, or at an Israeli consulate, and the office then acts for them in Israel. Calls are scheduled to suit the client's time zone. Book a consultation.
Leave your details and we will get back to you. You can also call us in Israel or the United States, or message us on WhatsApp.
Herzliya Pituach, Israel. Service throughout Israel and for clients worldwide. Meetings at the office, at your location or by Zoom.
Free first consultation — no obligation, no fee.
Real estate, inheritance, corporate, civil litigation or notary — we'll review your matter, identify the risks, and map out the next steps together.