Each side pays its own lawyer while the case runs. At the end, the court decides costs, and it customarily orders the unsuccessful party to pay the successful one.

The questions below cover what you pay during the case, what the court can order at the end, and what changes when you are an heir living outside Israel.

What You Pay While the Case Is Running

Who pays my lawyer during an Israeli will contest?

Throughout Israeli civil proceedings, each party bears its own costs as the case progresses, and a costs order only arrives at the end.

Who pays for expert opinions?

The court appoints an independent expert; the parties ordinarily share that expert’s fee equally, or the objecting party pays the expert fee.

In a will contest, this usually means a medical expert on testamentary capacity, or a handwriting expert where authenticity is in dispute.

What the Court Can Order at the End

Does the losing party pay the winner’s legal fees in Israel?

Customarily yes, but not in full. When the matter concludes, the court determines costs. This transparency helps the audience understand that recovery is partial, not full.

How much of my costs would I actually get back?

There is no fixed proportion, and Israeli courts more often award a lump sum than reimburse documented expenses item by item. The practical planning assumption is that a successful objector recovers part of the legal spend and absorbs the rest. Where the court does order reimbursement of documented expenses, those amounts carry linkage and interest from the date they were paid. Where it awards a lump sum, linkage and interest run only from the date the judgment says the costs were payable.

What does the court consider when it decides costs?

Israeli courts weigh the case’s complexity, how long the proceedings ran, and how much each party helped or obstructed the efficient conduct of the case. The outcome, any evidence of bad faith, and any abuse of process also factor in. The second of those is worth reading carefully as a warning: a party who drags out a weak objection is exposed to costs for the delay as well as for the loss.

Can a cost order be challenged?

Yes. A costs order can be contested as part of an appeal against the judgment itself. An appeal against a final judgment is filed within 60 days of the judgment being served, and the appellant has to deposit security for the other side’s costs on the appeal at the same time.

Fee Arrangements with Our Israeli Lawyer

Will an Israeli lawyer take a will contest on a contingency fee?

Contingency fees are permitted in Israeli family and civil cases, and our firm believes in result-oriented fees.

Do I have to travel to Israel, and what does that add?

No. We can litigate with you or via Zoom; however, in some cases your presence is mandatory.

Is mediation cheaper, and is it required?

Israeli courts actively push parties toward mediation, and a mandatory introductory session applies in the family courts, which is where a will contest is heard. That session is an information and coordination meeting rather than the mediation itself, and it is intended to show the parties what mediation would involve. Settling an inheritance dispute in mediation is generally far cheaper than running it to judgment, and it keeps the outcome in the family’s hands rather than the court’s.

Contact Our Israeli Law Firm for Strategy

Aharoni Law Firm represents heirs and beneficiaries in Israeli inheritance disputes, including objections to an Israeli will and the Family Court proceedings that follow. Rahav D. Aharoni, Adv., is an Israeli Lawyer who will tell you plainly whether the numbers on your case make sense before you commit to it, and who personally manages each matter for clients in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The firm advises on Israeli law only.

A one-hour consultation is complimentary and includes an assessment of the likely cost of your matter. Call 888-923-0022 from the United States or Canada, or the Tel Aviv office at +972 3-905-5478. The firm also handles Israeli wills and probate litigation from the first petition through to appeal.