Kennedys enters the Israeli market
UK insurance specialist Kennedys has signed up four-partner Tel Aviv boutique Zelichov Ben-Dan & Co, making it one of the first international firms to offer local law advice in Israel. Lee Saunders, editor of IsraelDesks interviewed Kennedys head of Israel Desks Ben Aram.
As one of the first international firms to offer local law advice in Israel, what has been the driver for such a move?
Kennedys has been working with Zelichov, Ben-Dan & Co for a number of years and formed an association with them in November 2018. Our association with Zelichov has been very successful, enabling us to offer our global clients strong litigation and dispute resolution services in Israel, and advising on local as well as cross-border insurance coverage issues and claims defence work.
The Israeli insurance market is large and mature, with a number of domestic financial conglomerates. Most large risks are reinsured overseas, often directly into London and the US. As such, Israel is a natural marketplace for us and our clients. There is clear demand from our global client base for a one-stop service. Joining up with the Zelichov team offers great potential for developing our practice in the region further.
Creating a full Kennedys office in Israel also delivers on our global strategy of growing our capabilities based on where our clients need us. This approach has seen Kennedys continue to thrive, invest and expand in key markets despite the global uncertainty caused by Covid-19.
What would you like the local market to know about your firm and what you plan to offer or specialize in?
Kennedys is a leading global law firm specializing in litigation and dispute resolution that has 2,150 staff worldwide, working across 40 offices. Our client base includes domestic and international (re)insurers, Lloyd’s syndicates, central and government bodies, and large corporate organizations (many of which are self-insured).
We provide a range of specialist legal services to industry sectors including insurance and reinsurance, aviation, banking and finance, construction and engineering, healthcare, life sciences, marine, public sector, rail, real estate, retail, shipping and international trade, sport and leisure, transport and logistics, and travel and tourism.
Our team in Israel will continue to specialize in disputes relating to construction and engineering, energy, cyber, D&O, motor, employers’ liability, product liability, professional liability, public liability, medical malpractice, property damage and, recently, Covid 19 related matters.
They have experience in local Israeli insurance related and commercial arbitrations, as well as handling arbitrations in international institutions such as The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
Establishing a Kennedys office in Israel means that our clients in Israel will now fully benefit from the firm’s expertise and global reach to receive seamless access to cross-border advice and services.
As our expanded Israel practice consists of a team of skilled, multi-lingual
lawyers (including Hebrew speakers and Israeli qualified lawyers) who understand and have experience of Israeli business and culture, we are also able to give rapid and practical legal advice tailored to the needs of our clients.
What is the business culture at Kennedys and do you anticipate any cultural challenges?
We like to empower our people to deliver the very best work and reach their full potential. We do this by putting our values centre stage. They define the way that we behave and interact with one another, and they run through every strand of our firm.
Our culture and values are at the core of who we are and what make us a great firm to work with and for, and we take them very seriously. We make a difference by being approachable, straightforward, supportive and distinctive. We deeply value the relationships we build with our clients and we know that they value our warm, friendly human approach.
The reason we have invited the former Zelichov team to join us is because we felt that they shared our values. We know that the Israeli market brings unique challenges and even greater opportunities, but we have no doubt that it is precisely this culture of values, recognized by our clients, which will make the new Kennedys office a resounding success.
