How to work and immigrate to Israel as a lawyer?

Have you considered and want to immigrate to Israel as a lawyer? They need skilled workers, and if you can fulfill the requirements and pass the recognition and get a license, you can immigrate to Israel as a lawyer. The Visa Library team will bring how to immigrate and work in Israel as a lawyer.

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How to immigrate to Israel as a Lawyer?

If you study law in a foreign country and not in Israel, you must follow this procedure to immigrate to Israel as a lawyer. Foreign lawyers can practice foreign law in Israel as long as they are qualified. Read this section carefully and entirely to know the steps you must follow.

Be a licensed lawyer in a foreign country

You must be a licensed lawyer in your home country or a foreign country. It’s a prerequisite to becoming a lawyer in Israel. You must study a law subject, get your degree and pass all the stages to become a licensed lawyer in your home country.

Moreover, you must have at least 5 years of work experience as a lawyer in that country is necessary. You must have been a licensed lawyer in this period, and your license must be valid.

Register with the Israeli Bar Association (“IBA”)

Every foreign lawyer or law firm wanting to practice law must register with the Israeli Bar Association (“IBA”). You must be a licensed layer in your home or a foreign country and have 5 years of work experience, then pass the grade on the Israeli Ethics Exam for Foreign Lawyers. You can register with the Israel IBA if you pass the exam successfully.

You can see and download a sample of the Ethics Exam from this link. In case you have some questions and want to learn or know more about the exam, you can contact this person:

Ms. Yehudit Liany
e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Tel: 972-2-5411208

Also, you need professional liability insurance in Israel compliant with the IBA Order.

After you manage to pass the Ethics Exam and register with the Bar Association, you can begin working as a lawyer in Israel.

You can visit the Israel Bar Association website to get the application forms and register with the Bar Association. You will also find the Application form to register for the Ethics exam there.

Take the Ethics Exam

You must pass the Ethics Exam, which gets called “Dinei Yisrael” in the Hebrew language. It consists of different parts, and you must at least six of the following items to pass it and register with the Bar Association:

Constitutional and Administrative Law
Commercial Law B (Bankruptcy, Liens, Secured Transactions, and Tax Law)
Commercial Law A (Corporations, Partnerships, and Business Organizations)
Civil Procedure and Professional Ethics
Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
Family and Inheritance Law
Property Law
Torts, Contracts, and Labor Law

There is also a Hebrew language test that you must pass. They are held twice a year, and you must register for them and enter Israel to pass them.

If your nationality needs a visa to enter Israel and is not part of the visa-waived countries, you can apply for an Israel tourist visa to enter Israel and take the exam.

Take an internship in Israel.

After you take the Ethics Exam, you must take an internship in Israel. Its duration is about 18 months. The duration and time you can take the internship is up to your conditions.

It’s your job to find an employer or law firm to pass your internship with them.

Pass the Bar Examination after taking the internship

After you pass your internship, you must pass another exam which is the final bar Exam. It is held two times per year, in June and December. It has changed in recent years, and you’d better check the new changes at the time of your application.

There are 3 parts to the new Bar Exam:

written section (15 points)
procedural law, multiple choice Q (45 questions=, 45 points)
substantive law, multiple choice Q (40 questions = 40 points)

The first part is 119 min, the second part is 160 min, and the third and last part is 70 min.

The written or the first part examines your ability on 3 levels:

content
organization
points
written ability

The second part of the procedural law, the multiple choice question part, examines your ability to memorize the law. The following items are some of the laws that are tested in this section:

Bankruptcy Law
Family Law
Labor Law
Ethics
Constitutional Law
General Court Proceedings
Evidence
Arrests and Detainments
Hotza’ah Le’Poal (Enforcement of Judgments)
Criminal Procedure
Civil Procedure

The last, third, or substantive law multiple choice part examines your ability to apply statutory and precedential law. It’s the longest section and is an ‘open-book’ section. You will receive a booklet with a compilation of statutory law. It is designed or made to help you answer the questions. These are some of the law items that are tested in this section:

Commercial Paper
Inheritance Law
Criminal Law
Torts Law
Contracts Law
Corporate Law
Property Tax
Property Law

At this time, you need a 60 score to pass the Bar Exam, but it might change in the future.

You often need 3- 5 months to study and prepare for the exam. You’d better study harder and spend enough time to master it as the passing score is low for the first time.

The Hamitmache company reviews the exam results, and you can find prep or mock courses with them.

Immigrate to Israel as a lawyer requirements

You need these items when you study for a law degree in a foreign country and want to move to Israel.

A law degree and license.

You need a valid license to practice law from your home country or a foreign one. You must have passed all of the stages and get your license to practice law.

You might have to submit proof that you have passed the stages.

Your law degree must be from a university that is recognized by the Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University.

Professional work experience.

You need at least 5 years of professional work experience as a lawyer in the country you received your license. You also need proof of your work experience. You must prove you have worked for at least 5 years as a lawyer. So it’s a good idea to gather proof of work experience and documents.

Register with the Israel Bar Association

Every foreign lawyer or law firm who wants to practice law in Israel must register with the Israel Bar Association.

Lawyers must pass the Israeli Ethics Exam for Foreign Lawyers to be qualified to register for the Bar Association.

You will have to pass an internship and pass the final Bar Exam to be qualified.

Liability insurance

You need professional liability insurance in Israel. It must be compliant with the IBA Order. The code in national law is Securities for a Foreign Lawyer), 5772 – 2012.

Israel visas for foreign immigrant lawyers

These Israeli visas help you enter the country and stay to fulfill your purpose.

Israel tourist visa

Israel has signed an agreement with some countries. It lets nationals of these countries enter Israel with their passports and stay for up to 90 days. You can find the list of them on this page. If you are not on this list of the visa-waived countries that can enter Israel with their passport, you need an Israel tourist visa. It lets you enter the country and complete the recognition process. You need it to pass the Bar exam. But to take the internship, you’d better contact the Israeli embassy/consulate in your home country to know the right visa option.

Israel work visa

After you complete the registration with the Israel Bar Association, you need a work visa to work there as a foreign person. Every foreign person who wants to work In Israel needs a work visa.

The prerequisite to get a work visa is a work permit. It’s permission to work as a foreign person in Israel, and only the Israeli employer can apply for it. This is why you should find a job offer with an Israeli employer.

There are various ways to find a job. You can find a job position through websites that advertise job positions or recruiters that connect employers and employees.

Israel student visa

There is another way to immigrate to Israel as a lawyer. It’s to study for a law degree there. First, you must find a university or law school that offers such a course to international students. Then, you must fulfill the requirements and apply to them:

Hebrew language fluency
Latest educational degree
Transcripts
Application fee
Cover letter or SOP
Etc

The university admission department will assess your application and decide about it. If they agree and grant admission, they will send you an acceptance or admission letter. Now you can apply for an Israeli student visa.

You must gather the supporting documents and apply to the Israeli embassy/consulate in your home country.

Do I need Hebrew language fluency to immigrate and work in Israel as a lawyer?

You need Hebrew language proficiency to immigrate to Israel as a lawyer. The final Bar Exam is in Hebrew, and you must be fluent to pass it. You might have to submit a Hebrew language proficiency certificate to qualify for the recognition.

Also, you need language proficiency to work with Israeli people, co-workers, and clients. Lawyers with English comprehension skills are appreciated. They help with the international parts and closing deals. But you should know Hebrew to immigrate to Israel as a lawyer.

Related jobs for lawyers in Israel

You can find various positions in Israel related to a lawyer. This section brings you some of these related positions that you might end up working in. While you look for a job, you can keep a keen eye on these positions. Also, if you are interested in some of them or see them more than others, you can get further work experience, knowledge, or information about them.

Legal Consultant/Advisor
Corporate Counsel
Legal Researcher/Writer
Government Lawyer
Policy Analyst/Advisor
Compliance Officer
Mediator/Arbitrator
Legal Academia

Lawyers’ salaries in Israel.

Your salary as a lawyer depends on many factors:

Education
Work experience
The position you have
The city you work in.
Tasks and responsibilities.
Etc.

Different sources have mentioned various figures for your salary as a lawyer in Israel. According to Glassdoor, the average salary is about ₪33,006 per month. According to Economic Research Institute, the average salary is about ILS 335,745 per year.

The Payscale website says that the average salary is about ₪ 150.000 per year.

Average Salary Survey says a lawyer earns about 224,688 ILS per year ($59,937).

The best cities to immigrate and work as a lawyer in Israel

You can find a job as a lawyer in every Israeli city. Law firms are distributed in every city. It’s up to your skills, work experience, the demand for lawyers, and some luck that you find a job in which Israeli city.

But the larger the city, the larger the companies, facilities, and every other feature. So it is with the law firms and the demand for lawyers. There are larger job opportunities in larger cities. This is the largest Israeli city. You might be able to find a job better in them

Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Haifa
Petah Tivka
Rishon-Lezion
Ashdod
Netanya
Beer-Sheva
Holon
Bnei Brak

You might have different preferences and have some priorities for the place you want to work with. This is the list of the most popular cities in Israel. People like them better than others, and there is a reason for it. You should find out what their features are and determine what you want to live in them.

Acre
Herzliya
Beersheva
Eilat
Tiberias
Netanya
Safed/Tzefat
Haifa

How to become a laywer in Israel?

If you are a lawyer in your home country, you can apply for recognition. You must send your documents and degree to Israeli officials. They assess them and determine whether you can work as a lawyer in Israel.

Then you must pass the other steps like the bar exam and training period.

Let’s sum up…

You learned how to immigrate and work in Israel as a lawyer through this page of the Visa Library. You read about the requirements and the procedure to immigrate to Israel as a lawyer.

If you have questions about every stage or other ones, write them in the comment section. The Visa Library team will answer them.