Serves Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii Island from downtown Honolulu. Guides personal representatives through probate filings, creditor payments, and distributions, handles small estate procedures, and advises trustees on fiduciary duties, asset management, and distribution in trust administration. Practicing in Hawaii for over 35 years.
Probate in Kauai County
Probate Court Record
Kauai County Fifth Circuit Court
Kauai County · 5th Circuit
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Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
How to file probate in Kauai County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Kauai County? →Settling an estate in Kauai County →
Estate Planning Firms Serving Kauai County
Serves Maui County from Wailuku. Handles probate cases for the administration of a loved one's estate, and prepares wills, revocable living trusts, certifications of trust, trust amendments and restatements, deeds into trust, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. A general-practice firm whose other practice areas include bankruptcy, family law, and criminal defense.
Serves Oahu, Hawaii Island, and Maui from offices in Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and Wailuku. Handles probate and trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and probate and trust litigation including disputed accountings and breach of fiduciary duty claims, alongside wills and trusts. Represents trustees and fiduciaries of large Hawaii dynastic trusts.
Serves clients statewide from a Honolulu office, with additional offices listed on Kauai, Maui, Hilo, and Kona. The firm guides personal representatives through probate and represents trustees in trust administration, including inventorying assets, paying debts and taxes, preparing accountings and trust tax returns, and distributing to beneficiaries. A free 15-minute phone consultation is offered.
Serves clients throughout Hawaii from Harbor Court in downtown Honolulu. Handles trust, probate, and conservatorship administration and litigation, dispute resolution, and estate planning. A solo practice focused on trusts and estates since 1992; the attorney is an ACTEC Fellow and serves on the Judiciary's Uniform Probate Code and Probate Court Practices Committee.
Serves clients from a Honolulu office at 999 Bishop Street. Its trusts and estates group represents personal representatives and trustees in probate and trust administration, counsels families and fiduciaries on post-death planning such as disclaimers and tax elections, handles will and trust contests and fiduciary litigation, and represents fiduciaries in estate tax audits.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Hawaii
Free Hawaii forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Hawaii.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
In Hawaii, a will is signed before 2HRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyHRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Hawaii allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2HRS § 327E-16Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Hawaii treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultHRS § 551E-3, § 551E-5, § 551E-9, § 551E-15, § 551E-16, § 551E-31, § 551E-47, § 551E-51 (L 2014, c 22); HRS § 502-84, § 501-174 (recording)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementHRS § 551E-3, § 551E-5, § 551E-9, § 551E-15, § 551E-16, § 551E-31, § 551E-47, § 551E-51 (L 2014, c 22); HRS § 502-84, § 501-174 (recording)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Pour-Over Will
In Hawaii, a pour-over will is signed before 2HRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Transfer on Death Deed
In Hawaii, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryHRS 527-1 to 527-17Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathHRS 527-1 to 527-17Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Hawaii does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Hawaii
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Hawaii: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Hawaii.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Hawaii, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Hawaii takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Hawaii runs $3,900Estimate: 10 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,850Estimate: 15 hours at $390, Clio's Hawaii Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,218Estimate: 3 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,436Estimate: 6 hours at $406, Clio's Hawaii Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Hawaii costs an estimated $28,206HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Hawaii automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceHRS § 560:2-804Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Hawaii costs an estimated $28,206HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $100,000HRS § 560:3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
