Kaplan, Alon
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(Article) Israeli family offices
01.03.2017
Israel is a democracy founded in 1948 with a population of approximately 600,000 Jews, many of whom were immigrants at the time of the founding of the state. During its 68 years of existence, the state has experienced three massive waves of immigration, mainly in the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s. Each such wave of immigration significantly increased the population. In 2016, the population was approximately 8.6 million; 6.4 million of which are Jewish -
(Article) Case studies from Israel - family wealth transfers
01.03.2018
The authors, lawyers based in Tel Aviv, present some actual family cases from Israel. Some managed successful wealth transfers; some did not turn out as well. All are instructive. Each family's approach is analysed. Some chose to sell early to prevent disputes, others ended up in court, and some used advanced planning for a successful transition. The authors include suggestions for a number of helpful legal solutions under Israeli law: shareholder agreements, constitutions, wills, trusts and several others. -
(Article) Trusts in Israel
01.03.2021
Dr Alon Kaplan and Meytal Liberman of Tel Aviv, Israel share some of their extensive knowledge on the use of trusts in Israel. They offer a variety of planning tools. As they note: "In the past 10 years, there has been a positive development in the use of trusts under Israeli law, by both Israeli and foreign residents". They draw from some of Alon's insights in his book, Trusts in Israel. In our opinion there is no more knowledgeable lawyer on this subject. -
(Article) Case law in Israel - how to set up a trust to survive death
01.09.2021
Keeping an eye on trust law developments in Israel, Alon Kaplan and Meytal Liberman report on two recent cases, in the theme of "How to set up a trust to survive death". They begin by stating that under the Trust Law 1979 "there are two approaches to create a trust to survive the death of the settlor: to set up an inter vivos trust (a contract with the trustee or a trust deed signed before a notary as a Hekdesh); or to set up a testamentary trust". There is another law, however, that prohibits certain agreements about future inheritances. As the two cases are reported in some detail, the issue can get complicated. Alon and Meytal give a helpful summary: Creation of an inter-vivos trust (Hekdesh) by the execution of a trust deed before a notary. The settlor should then transfer the ownership in the assets to the trustee and by doing so be completely disconnected from them. If, however, this can't be done, then the settlor must make an irrevocable undertaking to grant the assets to the trustee and be solvent at the time they are transferred. Even so, there is always a risk that the undertaking would be contested. Creation of a testamentary trust (Hekdesh) by the execution of a valid will. The will must comply with all the requirements of making a valid will. However, there is always a risk that the terms of the trust eventually probated would be different as a result of the intervention by the Administrator General or the court.