The regulatory framework in which we practise.

A practice that advises on the acquisition of citizenship is a practice operating across three domains of regulation — professional legal conduct, financial-crime compliance, and the immigration authorities of the destination jurisdiction. Each domain holds us to a defined standard. Each is public record. What follows is a plain statement of each, written so that a client, a professional introducer, or a regulator reading it can verify the position in a matter of minutes.

Professional licensing

Israeli Citizenship is the trading name of a regulated legal practice whose principal operating entity is registered and supervised in Israel. Our senior partners hold practising certificates in the following jurisdictions:

Where a matter extends into a jurisdiction in which no partner of the practice holds current admission — typically tax structuring, succession planning, or specific local counsel needs — we engage correspondent firms of equivalent regulatory standing under sub-engagement letters.

Professional indemnity insurance

We carry professional indemnity insurance at a level meaningfully in excess of the minimum required by our regulators. The current cover is £10,000,000 per individual claim, underwritten by a London market syndicate of the first tier. A copy of the current certificate of insurance is provided to any client on request and is produced as a matter of course to any party whose engagement letter so requires.

The insurance is renewed annually. We do not accept material instructions during any period when cover is not in place.

Anti-money-laundering and know-your-client

The practice is registered and supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes in each of its principal jurisdictions. Before engagement, and as a matter of regulatory requirement, we conduct client due diligence appropriate to the risk level of the matter. This typically involves:

• Verification of the identity of each principal applicant through government-issued photographic identification
• Verification of residential address through recent utility or banking correspondence
• Where relevant to the engagement tier, source-of-funds declaration and supporting evidence
• Screening against international sanctions lists, politically-exposed-persons registers, and adverse media

These checks are conducted with the same discretion as every other aspect of the engagement. The material gathered is held under the retention rules described in our Privacy document and shared only where statutory obligations compel disclosure — in which case we will notify you, save where the relevant legislation prohibits notification.

We decline engagements where due diligence raises concerns we are unable to resolve, and we reserve the right to do so without giving reasons. Where we decline, any fees already paid are refunded in full, net only of documented third-party costs.

Cross-border recognition

We wish to address plainly a matter that is sometimes a source of confusion. The legal profession is nationally regulated. A lawyer admitted in Israel is licensed to practise Israeli law; a solicitor admitted in England is licensed to practise English law. No individual lawyer is automatically admitted across jurisdictions.

Our practice is structured so that any given matter is handled by the correctly-admitted lawyer for the work in question. Israeli immigration and citizenship applications are conducted by our Israeli-admitted partners. Correspondence with English clients, UK tax authority liaison, and English-law matters are handled by our English-admitted partners. Where work in a third jurisdiction is required, we engage locally-admitted correspondent counsel.

This is how reputable cross-border legal work is, and has always been, structured. A firm that claims a single individual is simultaneously licensed everywhere is a firm you should decline to engage.

Conflicts of interest

Before accepting an engagement, we screen for conflicts of interest against our active and closed matters. Where a conflict exists or is likely to arise during the engagement, we decline the instruction or — where the conflict is manageable with the informed consent of all affected parties — we explain the position and obtain written consent before proceeding.

We do not accept engagements where a conflict cannot be managed consistently with our professional obligations. We do not, for example, accept both parties to a matrimonial dispute, or accept instruction from two parties whose aliyah intentions place them in opposition to each other.

Sanctions and financial-crime screening

The practice screens prospective and active clients against the sanctions lists maintained by the United Nations, the European Union, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Treasury, and HM Treasury of the United Kingdom. We also screen against the Israeli National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing.

We do not accept instruction from any person or entity appearing on these lists. Where a prospective client has previously appeared on such a list and has since been delisted, we may accept instruction following heightened due diligence.

Supervisory authority and complaints

You have the right at all times to complain about any aspect of our conduct, first to the practice itself (via the procedure described in our Engagement Terms) and, if your complaint is not resolved, to the relevant regulatory body:

Beneficial ownership and practice structure

The practice is owned privately by the senior partners who conduct its engagements. It is not owned, in whole or in part, by any external investor, private equity house, listed entity, or corporate group. It is not the legal or marketing front of a larger immigration-services conglomerate.

This structure is deliberate. It means that every client's engagement is a matter between them and a principal of the firm, not a matter between them and a shareholder to whom the partners answer. The partners answer to their regulators, to their clients, and — in respect of the quality of the work — to each other. That is the whole of it.

Public register of closed engagements

We do not maintain a public register of closed engagements, for the obvious reason that doing so would be incompatible with our confidentiality obligations. Aggregated practice statistics — number of engagements closed annually, broad distribution by pathway, application success rates — are produced annually for our own insurers and regulators and are available in summary form to prospective clients on request, under non-disclosure.