Early Neutral Evaluation

The wheels of justice grind slowly and therefore mediation, conciliation and arbitration proceedings are being developed in Israel and also abroad.

For the wide variety of legal cases that have reached litigation and for those for which claims have been filed for the settlement of disputes, Joel Levi & Co. offers Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE). The ENE analyzes all components of the claim and the defence, including the evidence. ENE can be an extraordinarily flexible, beneficial process, especially in the hands of a skilled neutral evaluator from Joel Levi & Co. Like mediation, the ENE process is voluntary and does not eliminate other dispute resolution options. Also, the ENE process, whether or not it results in settlement, is confidential. Finally, the evaluator is neutral -- i.e., not a decision-maker, litigator, or investigator, and would be barred from any advisory role should the case not settle.

Each party conducts the ENE in his/her mother tongue; thus, eliminating difficulties that arise from the use of idiomatic expressions or dissimilar languages. ENE staff at Joel Levi & Co is multi-lingual.

During ENE, the parties provide materials to the objective Evaluator who studies them and, if necessary, may perform independent research into relevant case law. The Evaluator considers presentations (written and/or oral), and clarifies positions and facts through questions. ENE is particularly appropriate when the dispute involves technical or factual issues that lend themselves to expert evaluation. ENE can enhance direct communication between the parties about their claims and supporting evidence and provide an assessment of the merits of the case by a neutral expert.

The depth of analysis, subject matter expertise and comprehensive legal evaluation is provided by the Evaluator.

The evaluation is given to the parties in accordance with their request and contains a recommendation for the solution of the dispute in accordance with the firm’s evaluation.

Obtaining this assistance from Joel Levi & Co. enables both parties to correctly evaluate their prospects in the legal proceeding so as to make educated decisions in negotiations to resolve the dispute. The ENE evaluator’s opinion is non-binding but provides an unbiased evaluation on relative positions and guidance as to the likely outcome should the case be heard in court.