Serves Oahu from First Hawaiian Center in downtown Honolulu. The estate planning group handles probates and trust administration, advises trustees and beneficiaries of personal and large charitable trusts, and prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and charitable trusts. The firm has practiced in Hawaii for more than 65 years.
More Estate Law Firms in City and County of Honolulu
Serves Oahu from Central Pacific Plaza in downtown Honolulu, with a second office at the Mary Savio Medical Plaza in Aiea/Pearl City. Handles probate and estate administration alongside wills, trusts, powers of attorney, Medicaid planning, and elder law.
Serves all four Hawaii counties from a Honolulu office on Fort Street. Represents parties in probate and trust litigation, including will and trust contests based on undue influence or lack of capacity, disputes among beneficiaries over shares and distributions, and claims against trustees and personal representatives for mismanagement, improper fees, or self-dealing. The firm's page also addresses challenges involving no-contest clauses.
Serves Oahu from downtown Honolulu. Attorneys Geoff J. Sogi and George O. White handle probates, trust and estate administration, conservatorships, guardianships, and trust and estate litigation, along with estate, long-term care, and special needs planning.
Serves West Oahu from an office on Farrington Highway in Waipahu. The practice prepares wills, living trusts, and health care and general powers of attorney alongside a family law practice. The office keeps Saturday hours, and the first consultation is free.
Statewide firm headquartered in downtown Honolulu with offices in Kahului, Kona, Lihue, and Waimea. Its Trusts & Estates Group counsels trustees and personal representatives through trust and estate administration, and handles conservatorship and guardianship proceedings and contested trust, estate, conservatorship, and guardianship matters through mediation or litigation.
Probate in City and County of Honolulu
Probate Court Record
City and County of Honolulu First Circuit Court
City and County of Honolulu · 1st Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:15 PM (except state holidays)
Office
Ka'ahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813-5093
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in City and County of Honolulu →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in City and County of Honolulu? →Settling an estate in City and County of Honolulu →
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.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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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.
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Free
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.
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Free
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.
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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.
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Free
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Hawaii: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysHRS § 560:3-706Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsHRS §§ 560:3-801, 560:3-803, 560:3-805, 560:3-806 (am L 2023, c 158; § 3-801 am L 2024, c 7)Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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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.
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