Probate Litigation Attorneys in Hawaii

7 probate litigation firms in Hawaii, by county and firm type.

State

County

Practice Area

All Areas

Planning ahead

Estate Planning4

Settling an estate

Trust Administration3 Probate4 Probate Litigation7 Trust Litigation3

Capacity and care

Conservatorship3 Guardianship2

Firm Type

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.

7 firms

FirmHonolulu, HI

Ashford & Wriston, LLP

Since 1955 · Serves 1 county

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more

Office: 999 Bishop Street, Suite 1400, First Hawaiian CenterHonolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 539-0400

FirmHonolulu, HI

Bickerton Law Group LLLP

Since 1989 · Serves 4 counties

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.

PracticesProbate LitigationTrust Disputes

Office: 745 Fort Street, Suite 801Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 599-3811

FirmHonolulu, HI

Carlsmith Ball LLP

Serves the whole state

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation

Office: 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 2100Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 523-2500

Solo PracticePaia, HI

David R. Spee, Attorney at Law

Since 1994 · Serves 1 county

Serves Maui's North Shore from Paia. Solo attorney David R. Spee handles probate and estate administration and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and beneficiary deeds. Licensed in Hawaii since 1989 and does not use mass-marketing seminars.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate Litigation

Office: 62 Baldwin Avenue, Suite 2BPaia, HI 96779
Phone: (808) 579-8244

FirmHonolulu, HI

MacDonald Rudy O'Neill & Yamauchi LLP

Since 1992 · Serves 1 county

Serves clients statewide from downtown Honolulu, representing beneficiaries and trustees in trust and estate litigation on Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. Handles trust and will contests, undue influence claims, trustee removal and surcharge, contested guardianships and conservatorships, and probate administration. Founded in 1992; initial case review is a flat-fee phone consultation.

PracticesProbate LitigationTrust LitigationConservatorship

Office: 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 2800Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 523-3080

FirmKahului, HI

Navarro-Buckingham, LLLC

Serves 1 county

Serves Maui from Kahului. Handles probate administration, small estate administration, trust administration, and ancillary probate and acknowledgement-of-authority filings for Mainland families who lose a relative owning Hawaii property, along with Hawaii deed preparation and recording. Attorney Gloria Navarro Buckingham is licensed in Hawaii and California.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 2 more

Office: 360 Ho'ohana Street, Suite A103Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: (808) 873-5900

FirmHonolulu, HI

Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher, A Law Corporation

Serves 1 county

Serves clients from downtown Honolulu. The Private Wealth Law & Disputes group represents clients in disputes involving trusts, wills, probates, and closely held companies and partnerships. Ranked Band 1 by Chambers High Net Worth Guide for Hawaii private wealth law.

PracticesProbate LitigationTrust Litigation

Office: 733 Bishop Street, Suite 1900, Pacific Guardian CenterHonolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 537-6100

Estate planning attorneys in Hawaii average $406 an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,218 to $2,436 for a simple individual will and $3,900 to $5,850 for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Hawaii will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In Hawaii, estates valued at $100,000 or less skip probate with the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Hawaii probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In Hawaii, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; an estate near or above the Hawaii estate tax threshold of $5,490,000; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Filter the directory by county and by the practice area you need, and look for experience with your situation; a board certification in estate planning, trust or probate law is a strong signal. Most Hawaii estate planning attorneys offer an initial consultation, some free and some for a flat fee. Ask up front whether the firm bills by the hour or by package, and what your situation is expected to cost.

Probate Litigation Attorneys in Hawaii

Hawaii attorneys average $406 an hour for wills and estates work. A basic will from an attorney runs $1,218–$2,436; online services cost $30–$300.

Hawaii imposes its own estate tax separate from the federal one, kicking in well below the federal exemption. Estates near the state threshold benefit from real planning — not because every family needs it, but because the line is lower than people expect.

Worth knowing: estates under $100,000 can use Hawaii's simplified affidavit instead of formal probate. If your situation is straightforward and the estate fits, you may not need an attorney at all.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Hawaii statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Hawaii

Free Hawaii forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In Hawaii, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony.

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All Hawaii forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Hawaii

Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Hawaii: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Hawaii costs an estimated $28,206. Attorney fees run 2.3% to 3.6% of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Hawaii, a surviving spouse takes the entire estate when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generation.

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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Hawaii, creditors have 4 months from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.

Check Deadlines

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Hawaii: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 days of appointment; creditors have 4 months to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Hawaii pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate.

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All Hawaii tools