Family law in Israel
Family law is not limited to divorce, and certainly not to contested divorce. The firm is involved at every stage of a couple's life, from the agreement signed before marriage through to the complete settlement of a separation, favouring agreement wherever it is possible. It appears before the Family Court and before the rabbinical courts.
Marital and prenuptial agreements
A marital agreement is not a sign of distrust; it is a clarification. It sets out what belongs to each spouse, what will be shared, and what happens to assets acquired before the marriage or received by gift or inheritance during it. It prevents a discussion without evidence years later.
The moment of signature changes the procedure. Concluded before the marriage, the agreement is authenticated by a notary - which Maayan Abihssira can do herself, so the file and the deed are handled in one place. Concluded after the marriage, it must be approved by the court, which verifies that each spouse signed freely and understood its effect.
Shalom bayit agreements
When a couple goes through a crisis without having decided to separate, a shalom bayit agreement sets down in writing the conditions for starting again. It records what each spouse undertakes to do, and above all it settles in advance what happens to financial and property matters should the attempt fail.
It is an underrated instrument. It gives reconciliation a real chance by removing from the table the fear that the other spouse is using the time to improve their position. And if separation becomes necessary after all, the essentials have already been agreed calmly rather than negotiated in bitterness.
Divorce by consent
The firm consistently favours divorce by consent. It is faster, considerably less expensive, and far less punishing - for the spouses and for the children, who always sense more than people think.
The process consists of negotiating and then drafting a complete agreement settling, in one document, child support, the organisation of each parent's time, the fate of the family home and the division of property. That agreement is then submitted for court approval, which gives it the force of a judgment. An approved agreement carries the same weight as a ruling, without the years of proceedings.
Contested divorce
Where agreement is out of reach, or where one spouse refuses to negotiate in good faith, the firm brings and conducts contested proceedings and defends its clients before the competent court. The work then consists of assembling the evidence, quantifying each claim precisely and arguing every point in dispute.
Even then, a settlement remains possible at any moment, and many files are resolved in the course of proceedings. The firm never loses sight of that door.
Child support
Child support is the question that arises most often, and the one surrounded by the most persistent received ideas. The amount depends on the child's actual needs, on each parent's income and ability to contribute, and on how the child's time is in fact divided between them.
The firm prepares the costed file that allows a fair figure to be set, argues it, and also acts on variation where one parent's circumstances change lastingly - loss of employment, a new family obligation, a change in the child's needs.
Parenting time and contact
How each parent's time with the child is organised is one of the most sensitive points of a separation, and one of the most frequently renegotiated over the years. The firm helps build a schedule that works in real life: weeks, weekends, school holidays, festivals, distance, working hours.
A precise arrangement is worth more than a generous but vague one. Most post-divorce conflict grows out of loose wording that each parent reads in their own way.
Division of property and the family home
Division covers everything accumulated during the marriage: the home, savings, pension rights and provident funds, vehicles, company shares - and debts, which people often forget to count.
The family home deserves separate treatment, because it is both the couple's main asset and the children's home. The firm examines the possible solutions - sale and division of the proceeds, buying out the other spouse's share, temporary continued occupation - and costs each one before you decide.
Choosing the forum
In Israel, certain matters may be brought either before the Family Court or before the rabbinical court. That choice is never neutral: it affects the law applied, the pace of proceedings and sometimes the outcome. It is decided very early, as soon as the elements of the file are known, because the court seised first generally keeps jurisdiction.
Franco-Israeli families
Maayan Abihssira's dual competence in French and Israeli law is particularly valuable here. A marriage celebrated in France, an asset left behind there, a French matrimonial regime, a judgment to be recognised in one country or the other: all situations where the analysis has to be run in both systems at once, and where a purely Israeli answer would miss the point.
Every file begins with a meeting to understand your situation and its elements. Only once that picture is complete is a strategy decided. Contact the firm to arrange an appointment, in Hebrew, French or English.