Our Services
- Estate Planning
- Life Planning
- Fiduciary Litigation
- Probate Administration
- Business Representation
- Trust Administration
- Charitable Giving
- Medicaid Planning/Elder Law
- Asset Protection
- Estate and Gift Tax
Estate Planning
Estate planning, which ranges from simple wills to complex tax and generational planning. We take the time to get to know our clients as people and to understand their goals and concerns. This makes it possible for us to provide a personalized estate plan that provides peace of mind for each client. Documentation is important, but equally important is the client’s understanding and level of comfort with the entire estate planning process.
Life Planning
We don’t just create a plan that will be implemented at your death. We create plans that will be implemented during your lifetime so that you can be assured that “YOUR” needs are satisfied. Whether we create trusts that will manage your assets in the event of your incapacity or draft powers of attorney that allow someone to make decisions on your behalf, we always first make sure that your goals and desires are met.
Fiduciary Litigation
The term “fiduciary” is merely a title that denotes a special relationship that one person owes another. Husbands and wives are fiduciaries to each other. Likewise, administrators of estates and trustees of trusts are fiduciaries to the beneficiaries of the estate or trust. We handle all litigation matters that involve estates and trusts, whether it is a will contest, a breach of fiduciary duty case, a lawsuit involving abuse of power under a power of appointment, or any other matter revolving around estates or trusts.
Probate Administration
Probate administration is the process of handling a person’s affairs after their death. In Hawai’i, the probate administration process is usually straightforward if the individual had proper estate planning done during their lifetime. However, sometimes the probate administration process is convoluted and complex. We handle routine matters as well as complex and convoluted matters.
Business Representation
Since many of our clients own businesses, we have developed a unique expertise in representing family owned businesses. In many case, we become a de facto “general in-house counsel” for our client’s businesses. In legal areas where we do not practice such as intellectual property and securities law, we assist our clients in finding the right attorneys to handle their needs and sometimes help manage that representation.
Trust Administration
Trust administration is similar to probate administration; however, it involves the process of managing a trust. Some trusts last for decades. Accordingly, trust administration can be quite lengthy. We help trustees come up with best practices for administering the trust. We also assist beneficiaries of trusts in asserting their rights against hostile trustees.
Charitable Giving
Because of the important tax implications that can benefit or harm an individual who is charitably inclined, we take great care in ensuring that we create charitable plans that maximize the potential tax advantages for our clients.
Medicaid Planning/Elder Law
We assist individuals and families with planning for Medicaid eligibility. This area of the law is increasing complex and changing. Accordingly, it is important that individuals who may need government assistance seek the advice of attorneys knowledgeable in this area of the law.
Asset Protection
We live in a litigious society. Many of clients have worked their entire lives to build their nest egg, and they fear a baseless lawsuit will wipe that out. We can assist our clients with planning that will make it more difficult for those unscrupulous potential creditors to take client’s property. We do not assist clients with any kind of fraudulent conveyances.
Estate and Gift Tax
The estate and gift tax system is complex and ever changing. We have the sophistication to help our clients minimize estate and gift tax liability. Attorneys in our office have assisted clients who have in excess of $800 million in assets and we have the expertise to handle any size estate planning matter. We are one of the few law firms in Hawaii that prepares gift and estate tax returns.