# Domain Checklist: Israeli Legal Research Assistant

Scope: information/research capability for Israeli law (legislation lookup, terminology, case-law concepts, court procedure, document-structure guidance). Explicitly NOT formal legal advice; always recommends a licensed Israeli attorney. Last reviewed: 2026-06-29.

## 1. Must cover (core)

- **The disclaimer + "consult a licensed attorney" duty, surfaced on every substantive answer.** Cite: Bar Association Law (חוק לשכת עורכי הדין), 1961, ss. 96-98 reserve "actions of the legal profession" (ייצוג, ייעוץ) to licensed lawyers; non-lawyer legal advice is unauthorized practice.
- **Court hierarchy and which court hears what.** Cite: Courts Law [Consolidated Version] (חוק בתי המשפט), 1984 - Magistrate (שלום), District (מחוזי), Supreme (עליון); appellate routes (ערעור בזכות vs. בקשת רשות ערעור / רע"א).
- **Specialized tribunals outside the ordinary hierarchy.** Cite: Labor Courts Law (חוק בית הדין לעבודה), 1969 (regional + national); Family Courts Law (חוק בית המשפט לענייני משפחה), 1995; Administrative Courts Law (חוק בתי משפט לעניינים מינהליים), 2000.
- **Small Claims Court basics.** Cite: Courts Law ss. 59-62 - תביעות קטנות, monetary cap updated periodically, no lawyer representation by default.
- **Civil procedure framework.** Cite: Civil Procedure Regulations (תקנות סדר הדין האזרחי), 5779-2018, in force 1 Jan 2021 - pleadings (כתב תביעה / כתב הגנה), preliminary proceedings, the proportionality/good-faith opening principles.
- **Subject-matter vs. local jurisdiction.** Cite: Courts Law ss. 40, 51 (סמכות עניינית) + Civil Procedure Regs on local venue (סמכות מקומית); jurisdiction objection must be raised at first opportunity.
- **Contract law general part.** Cite: Contracts (General Part) Law (חוק החוזים - חלק כללי), 1973 - offer/acceptance, good faith (תום לב, s.12/s.39), defects in formation, voidability; interpretation rule of s.25 as amended by Amendment 3 (2026).
- **Contract remedies.** Cite: Contracts (Remedies for Breach) Law (חוק החוזים - תרופות בשל הפרת חוזה), 1970 - אכיפה, ביטול, פיצויים.
- **Tort law foundation.** Cite: Civil Wrongs Ordinance [New Version] (פקודת הנזיקין [נוסח חדש]) - negligence (רשלנות), breach of statutory duty, the נזק/קשר סיבתי framework.
- **Consumer protection.** Cite: Consumer Protection Law (חוק הגנת הצרכן), 1981 - מצג מטעה, חרטה/ביטול עסקה, distance-selling rights.
- **Standard-form contracts.** Cite: Standard Contracts Law (חוק החוזים האחידים), 1982 - תנאי מקפח, judicial striking/altering of oppressive terms.
- **Privacy / data protection (current).** Cite: Protection of Privacy Law (חוק הגנת הפרטיות), 1981, as amended by Amendment 13 (תיקון 13), in force August 2025 - database obligations, enforcement powers, expanded definitions.
- **Core employment statutes.** Cite: Severance Pay Law (חוק פיצויי פיטורים), 1963; Hours of Work and Rest Law, 1951; Prior Notice for Dismissal and Resignation Law, 2001; Minimum Wage Law, 1987; Protection of Wages Law, 1958; mandatory-pension extension order (צו הרחבה לפנסיה).
- **Real-estate / property law.** Cite: Land Law (חוק המקרקעין), 1969 - registration (טאבו), בעלות/חכירה, condominium (בית משותף); Rental and Loan Law (חוק השכירות והשאילה), 1971; Tenant Protection Law (חוק הגנת הדייר).
- **Administrative law + judicial review.** Cite: High Court of Justice (בג"ץ) jurisdiction under Basic Law: The Judiciary s.15; petition (עתירה) basics; reasonableness/proportionality grounds.
- **Constitutional architecture (Basic Laws).** Cite: Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty (1992) + Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation (1994); the "constitutional revolution" and judicial review of statutes (Bank HaMizrahi, CA 6821/93).
- **Precedent doctrine.** Cite: Basic Law: The Judiciary s.20 - Supreme Court rulings (הלכה פסוקה) bind lower courts but not the Supreme Court itself; הבחנה/distinguishing.
- **Statute of limitations.** Cite: Limitation Law (חוק ההתיישנות), 1958 - 7-year general civil period, 25 years for registered land.
- **Core legal terminology glossary (HE-EN).** Cite: common-practice usage across nevo.co.il / court.gov.il - e.g. תקדים, הלכה, עתירה, ערעור, רע"א, סעד, תצהיר, פסק דין vs. החלטה, נטל הראיה, מאזן ההסתברויות.
- **How to locate/read a statute and case.** Cite: main.knesset.gov.il (legislation + רשומות official gazette), nevo.co.il (consolidated law + case law), court.gov.il/נט המשפט (case management) - and the duty to check whether a law is current, amended, or repealed.
- **Anti-hallucination / citation-integrity rule.** Cite: Israel Bar Association National Ethics Committee opinion on AI (May 7, 2024) - lawyers must independently verify every AI-generated legal output; never present an unverified citation; map directly to the well-documented fabricated-citation and fabricated-statute risk (cf. Mata v. Avianca and Israeli equivalents).
- **Current judicial-reform context.** Cite: 2023 amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary (reasonableness) struck down by Supreme Court 1 Jan 2024 (8-7); reasonableness standard remains in force; Judicial Selection Committee Law passed March 2025, effective after the next election (set for Oct 2026); 11-justice hearing held June 21, 2026 with an order nisi issued.

## 2. Should cover (advanced)

- **Class actions.** Cite: Class Actions Law (חוק תובענות ייצוגיות), 2006 - certification, the Schedule (התוספת השנייה) listing eligible causes (consumer, environment, etc.).
- **Inheritance and succession.** Cite: Succession Law (חוק הירושה), 1965 - wills (צוואה), intestate distribution, the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs (הרשם לענייני ירושה) vs. Family Court.
- **Sale and agency contracts.** Cite: Sale Law (חוק המכר), 1968; Agency Law (חוק השליחות), 1965; Guarantee Law (חוק הערבות), 1967.
- **Unjust enrichment.** Cite: Unjust Enrichment Law (חוק עשיית עושר ולא במשפט), 1979.
- **Companies / commercial.** Cite: Companies Law (חוק החברות), 1999 - incorporation, director duties, piercing the veil; Partnerships Ordinance.
- **Execution and debt collection.** Cite: Execution Law (חוק ההוצאה לפועל), 1967 - לשכת ההוצאה לפועל, חייב מוגבל באמצעים.
- **Evidence basics.** Cite: Evidence Ordinance [New Version] (פקודת הראיות), 1971 - admissibility, privilege (חיסיון עו"ד-לקוח), hearsay exceptions.
- **Interpretation conventions.** Cite: Interpretation Law (חוק הפרשנות), 1981 + purposive interpretation (פרשנות תכליתית, Barak doctrine).
- **Legal-document structure templates (non-binding, illustrative).** Cite: Civil Procedure Regs Schedule formats - the required parts of a כתב תביעה, תצהיר, בקשה; structure of a חוזה (preamble/הואיל, operative clauses, governing-law clause).
- **Tax-law touchpoints (navigation only).** Cite: Income Tax Ordinance (פקודת מס הכנסה); VAT Law (חוק מס ערך מוסף), 1975; Real Estate Taxation Law (חוק מיסוי מקרקעין), 1963 - flag that quantitative tax computation belongs to a tax skill/accountant.
- **ADR.** Cite: Arbitration Law (חוק הבוררות), 1968; court-annexed mediation under the Civil Procedure Regs.
- **Plain-language rights navigation.** Cite: kolzchut.org.il (כל-זכות) - the canonical Hebrew plain-language portal for citizen rights and procedure, useful as a non-attorney-facing pointer.
- **Freedom of information.** Cite: Freedom of Information Law (חוק חופש המידע), 1998 - for accessing public-body records.
- **Costs, court fees, and legal aid.** Cite: Courts (Fees) Regs (תקנות בתי המשפט (אגרות)); Legal Aid Law (חוק הסיוע המשפטי), 1972 (סיוע משפטי for the eligible).

## 3. Out of scope (explicit)

- **Formal legal advice / "what should I do in my case".** Rationale: constitutes unauthorized practice under Bar Association Law ss. 96-98; the skill informs/navigates, it does not advise.
- **Drafting actual pleadings or contracts for a live dispute.** Rationale: case-specific legal work product requires a licensed attorney's judgment and liability; only illustrative, non-binding structure guidance is in scope.
- **Predicting case outcomes or settlement valuations.** Rationale: outcome prediction is professional judgment + unverifiable; high hallucination risk; recommend an attorney.
- **Non-Israeli legal systems / foreign or international law.** Rationale: skill is Israel-scoped; cross-border questions must be routed to qualified foreign counsel.
- **Religious / rabbinical court (בתי דין רבניים / שרעיים) substantive procedure for personal status.** Rationale: distinct halachic/sharia bodies of law and procedure outside this civil-law research scope (note their existence and jurisdiction over marriage/divorce, but do not advise on them).
- **Criminal-defense strategy.** Rationale: liberty-at-stake matters demand a licensed criminal defense attorney; only neutral explanation of procedure (e.g., זכות השתיקה, indictment stages) is acceptable, never strategy.
- **Computing statutory amounts from rate tables (severance %, tax brackets, fee schedules).** Rationale: this is a knowledge/navigation skill, not a calculator; route to the relevant computational skill/checker or a professional.
- **Citing case law or statutes the assistant cannot verify against a primary source.** Rationale: per the Bar's May 2024 AI opinion, an unverifiable citation or statute must not be presented; fabricated authorities are the single biggest legal-AI failure mode.

## 4. Authoritative sources

- Knesset legislation portal (laws + Reshumot official gazette): https://main.knesset.gov.il/Activity/Legislation/Laws/Pages/default.aspx
- Nevo legal database (consolidated statutes + case law): https://www.nevo.co.il
- Kol-Zchut plain-language rights portal: https://www.kolzchut.org.il
- Israeli Courts (judicial system, Net HaMishpat): https://www.court.gov.il
- Ministry of Justice: https://www.gov.il/he/departments/ministry_of_justice
- Israel Bar Association (לשכת עורכי הדין) - ethics rules + May 2024 AI opinion: https://www.israelbar.org.il
- Civil Procedure Regulations 5779-2018 (text): https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law00/157751.htm
- Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor - Israel: https://www.loc.gov/collections/global-legal-monitor/?q=Israel