Insurance

Insurance is a dynamic field that covers many diverse disciplines—for example, life insurance, property insurance and group insurance. It also has a special bearing on the capital markets because insurance companies are financial institutions that provide long-term savings, and sell to their clients various saving and investment instruments, such as managers’ insurance, pension insurance and provident funds. Consequently, this sector is closely—and increasingly—regulated by the Supervisor of Insurance through circulars and directives. 

Yigal Arnon & Co. has exceptional expertise in the various branches of insurance and has worked for many years with Israel’s leading insurance companies.

We provide comprehensive legal services to insurers. This includes:

• Representation in litigation, including in particular class actions, across all areas of the industry
• Representation in proceedings involving the Supervisor of Insurance (for example, in hearings and in matters involving financial penalties, administrative penalties and ombudsman complaints)
• Handling regulatory and related procedures with the Supervisor of Insurance
• Providing ongoing representation in the handling of client claims and ombudsman complaints
• Handling compliance matters
• Assisting in the drafting of insurance contracts, taking into account all recent case law and regulatory instructions
• Managing international insurance-related arbitrations
• Managing large-scope environmental claims
• Providing ongoing legal advice to foreign insurers with activity in Israel—and representing foreign insurers in Israeli courts

We provide similarly comprehensive legal services to corporations as customers of insurers. This includes:

• Ongoing insurance-related legal advice
• Managing tort- and insurance-related litigation, including lawsuits with industry-wide implications
• Mediating and arbitrating large-scale insurance and tort claims
• Providing insurance-related advice in mergers and acquisitions

We also provide monitoring services for insurers and underwriters in insurance-related legal proceedings. In addition, we represent actuarial firms and other clients that seek our help with legal opinions and contracts, as well as provide legal services to insurance agencies, starting with licensing and extending across all other legal issues that arise.

Torts

Yigal Arnon & Co. has vast experience handling tort matters. Our clients include some of the largest commercial entities in Israel as well as corporations and individuals. We also represent leading local and foreign insurers, both as plaintiffs and as defendants, in the courts and in arbitration.

We are well-known for handling claims arising from fire and water damages as well as claims pursuant to Israel’s Compensation of Road Accident Victims Law. We also have special expertise in electricity-related damages and are the go-to law firm in Israel in those matters. In addition, given our breadth of experience in tort law, we have been selected to represent some of the largest corporations involved in large-scale environmental tort actions in Israel, such as the Kishon River, Ramat Hovav and Mount Carmel fire disaster claims. 

For example, clients rely on our team in regard to: 

• Property damages (all possible scenarios, with a focus on technical damages, and fire and water damages)
• Physical injuries (all accident scenarios, with a focus on occupational accidents, electrocution, occupational diseases and road accidents)
• Professional negligence (representation of directors and officers, lawyers and other professionals)
• Environmental action (representation of manufacturers in claims against them for alleged disease resulting allegedly from environmental contamination)
• Subrogation claims (representation of insurers in subrogation claims)
• Monitoring services for local and foreign insurers
• Acting as mediators and arbitrators

Our services also include:

• Managing tort- and insurance-related litigation
• Managing cross-border insurance arbitration
• Managing large-scale environmental claims
• Providing ongoing legal advice to corporations on insurance matters
• Providing ongoing legal advice to foreign insurers operating in Israel
• Representing foreign insurers before Israeli courts and tribunals