Wong Eric M K - Attorney at Law, a Law Corporation

Jo Y. _{on Yelp}

Aug 8th, 2021

Estate planning is important. Many people misunderstand the term "estate," as they think they are mansions with sprawling grounds & that people who own them are wealthy. Not the case. "Estate" refers to all the property a person owns, such as real estate, cars, cash, jewelry, & other assets. A legal estate plan becomes important if one wants their assets to be transferred to their surviving loved ones after they pass away, & this process is called "estate planning." Legal documents are created to make it easier for one's family to ensure that your wishes are met when you're unable to care for your self & if you pass away. If there is no estate plan, your assets will go through the probate process, i.e., a court will determine how the assets are to be distributed. As the probate process is time-consuming & costly (fees assessed by the court, attorney, State, etc.), estate planning to establish a trust is much more efficient & is the preferred choice.As our kids got older, they married, & had kids of their own. We knew we had to protect our assets so that they would be the beneficiaries should we pass. Each time we got on a plane, the thought of the plane crashing was always on our minds, as it was something that you could not predict. And you don't know when your time is up for you to pass on. We've seen family members who did not protect their assets, & it took years before the assets were distributed to remaining family members after but after the required probate process.In 2012, we were ready to draw up the legal documents for our estate plan. But whom do we call? As this was an important decision, finding the right attorney makes a difference. We were not about to just arbitrarily choose any attorney, as we had to ensure the credibility & accurateness of decisions made, especially in complex matters. After all, we would not be alive to see that our actions were done correctly.With attorneys, we've found that the best referrals are from your friends or family that have used the services of the attorneys, as they usually have experiences that they can relate to you, whether they are satisfactory or not. Plus, we were looking for an attorney from a small firm with easy & direct access to the attorney whenever we had questions, as compared to the larger firms that are costly & may address our questions with a legal assistant instead. After asking numerous people & vetting each attorney, we chose Eric M.K. Wong, Esq. who has legal expertise & specializes in estate planning.With his assistants Malia and Jodie, Eric has the expertise in trust reviews & administration, wills, powers of attorney, medical directives, real property & asset transfers, probate administration, guardianship, gifting, succession planning, & mediation & settlement.Eric currently has 38 years of legal experience in trust & estate planning. A 1984 Punahou graduate, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce/Finance from Santa Clara University (SCU) in 1988, & his law degree from SCU School of Law in 1991. Licensed to practice in HI in 1992, he began his law career as a Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City & County of HNL & then entered private practice in 1996. He is a member of the Probate & Estate Planning, Elder Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, & Tax Sections of the HI Bar Assn; & the HI Estate Planning Council & the American Bar Assn. He also serves as a court-appointed arbitrator in the State of HI, 1st Circuit Court.His side interests include being a member &/or officer of:  Calvin & Susie HI Animal Foundation, John Nordlum Five-O Foundation, Kaimuki Business & Professional Assn, Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA, East HNL Rotary Club, Palolo School Community Council, Holy Nativity School. With wife Kristie, he has two twin sons, & hobbies are cooking, traveling, playing tennis, & reading.We started the process with completing a detailed confidential estate planning questionnaire. Our goals then were discussed with Eric, as he provided various legal & practical perspectives that we were not aware of, & then gave us options & his recommendations. We were grateful that he is able to explain complex issues & legalese to make it understandable to us. We respected his team approach in working with our CPA, insurance agent, & financial advisor so that all were on the same page. We found Eric to be very focused, effective, honest, & reliable. Also, he's younger than us, which means he will still be around to implement our estate plan once we're gone.Eric's law office is located at the corner of 13th & Waialae Aves. in Kaimuki; free parking in private lot. Hours of operation are Mon to Fri 8a - 5p, Sat/Sun closed. With COVID, all meetings are held via zoom or teleconferencing, with documents to be dropped off or picked up at curbside at his office.We meet with Eric every few years to update any changes that occur. It is a relief and peace of mind to know that our assets are protected for our kids. Highly recommend!

Bruce O S. _{on Yelp}

Jul 19th, 2020

My experience with Eric has been excellent!  He explains things so it's easy to understand and he does a very thorough job. His assistant Malia is also really on top of everything.  Such a pleasure to work with both of them!

Margie Smith _{on Google}

Jan 30th, 2018

Super helpful, bright and caring - Eric Wong is a pleasure to do business with.