Can a foreign lawyer represent a party in an arbitration seated in Israel?

Because the parties' agreement and the chosen rules define how an arbitration runs, the tribunal can accept whoever a party appoints as its representative. The court-representation monopoly in the Bar Association Law is aimed at appearances before the courts, not at a private tribunal the parties created by contract. For cross-border disputes the International Commercial Arbitration Law 5784-2024, which brought a framework modelled on international practice into Israeli law, allows each side to be represented by a person of its choosing. This freedom is one reason international parties favour arbitration, and it sits alongside the wider advantages set out in our guide to international commercial arbitration in Israel.

A foreign company should still take three practical points into account. First, the arbitration agreement and any institutional rules may say something specific about representation, so they should be checked before instructing counsel. Second, foreign lawyers are not licensed to give advice on Israeli law, so local counsel is usually needed for questions of Israeli substantive law and strategy. Third, the court stages that bracket an arbitration, such as confirming or setting aside the award before the District Court under the Arbitration Law 5728-1968, are court appearances and require an Israeli-licensed advocate. Pairing foreign and Israeli lawyers from the outset avoids gaps at exactly those moments.

From the full guide: International Commercial Arbitration in Israel: A Complete Guide

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