Estate Plans.
Built to hold
when your
family needs it.
Most estate plans look fine on paper and fail in the rooms that matter. I build the one that holds — a plan tested before your family ever has to test it, and I will tell you the truth about the difference.
“I couldn’t fix it for my dad. I can fix it for you.”
My father died thinking he had it handled. He had a will. He had a trust. He had the basic documents — and thirty years of work behind them.
It didn’t protect anyone. His wife remarried before the headstone was set. About a year later, she died too. Thirty years of my father’s work walked out the door with a stranger.
I was twenty-six when I learned that “I have a will” and “my family is protected” are not the same sentence. My father’s documents were technically fine, and useless for the one thing that mattered.
Here is what nobody tells you: estate planning is not, in the end, about documents. It is about predators. People who marry grieving spouses and wait. People who know exactly how to strip a lifetime of work from families who assumed they were protected. My father handed them a road map.
That is why I practice the way I do. I am not here to sell you a binder that looks like a plan. I build the thing that holds when your family needs it — and I will tell you the truth about the difference, even when it isn’t what you were hoping to hear.
A will does not
keep your family out of court.
Most people find that out too late. In California, when there is no working plan, families do not sort it out at the kitchen table — they go to probate. It is public, slow, and the fees are set by statute. An ordinary home and modest savings can cost a family tens of thousands of dollars and a year or more before they can touch any of it.
This is not a problem for the wealthy. The bigger the estate, the more lawyers it already has. Ordinary families are the ones who get hurt — because they assumed something in a drawer was enough.
Your family has a target on its back. Every month you put it off, every “I’ll get to it later,” makes that target easier to find.
Keep your family out of probate court.
A plan that works moves assets the moment they need to move — without permission from a judge, without a public docket, without statutory fees.
Name who steps in if you cannot.
Incapacity is the half of the conversation no one wants. Your plan should name, in advance, who handles your medical, financial, and family decisions.
Say who raises your children.
And who controls the money on their behalf. Written in your own words, in a way the court will follow rather than reinterpret.
Hold up when it is tested.
Because it was built to be tested. A plan that survives contact with grief, family conflict, and the courthouse — not just the day you sign it.
That is the whole job. I will tell you what you need, what you do not, and why — then build it so it actually works. — Eric Ridley, on his practice
A focused practice.
Four things, done well.
Five meetings, then
a plan that keeps working.
The Conversation
An unhurried first meeting — in person or by video — to understand your family, your assets, and the moments you are actually planning for. No documents are drafted in this room.
Asset Review
A full inventory of what is actually there to plan around — accounts, real property, beneficiaries, insurance, business interests. The plan only works if it is built on what you actually own.
The Design
A written plan, in plain language, before any legal documents are drawn. You see exactly how the plan moves when it has to move — and where the old plan would have failed.
Final Review
The drafted documents read together, line by line, with you in the room. We coordinate which assets move into the trust — and exactly how — so nothing is left to discover later.
The Signing
The documents executed, the people named, the language witnessed. The meeting most attorneys treat as the finish line — and where, for most of them, the work ends.
Proper Funding
We move the assets into the trust — deeds re-titled, accounts re-registered, beneficiaries aligned. A plan that is not funded is a binder. This is the work that most attorneys hand back to the client and most clients never finish.
Annual Review
Every 3 years, while we work together, we sit again — to update for new assets, new beneficiaries, new law, and the moments life has actually delivered. A plan is finished when it would still work today.
In their
own words.
Unlike other attorneys I’ve encountered, Eric genuinely puts people before paperwork. His personalized approach made us feel confident and at ease throughout the entire process. He took the time to understand our unique needs and created a custom estate plan that provided clarity and peace of mind.
“Eric and Spencer took my hand and walked me through the process of building my trust, and to the finish line. They were always available to answer all my questions. I’m happy I picked the Law Offices of Eric Ridley, and you will too.”
“We had previously completed a trust through LegalZoom, but it didn’t feel like enough to truly protect our family in a worst-case scenario. Eric and Spencer were fantastic to work with and provided incredible value.”
“Eric and Spencer bring a remarkable sense of calm and genuine care to their work. I needed to address some sensitive changes regarding beneficiaries — and they made what could have been a difficult conversation feel manageable.”
“After meeting with several firms, I felt that Eric was the most forthright and upfront about the whole process. He and his team are patient, informative, and helpful. A great experience all around.”
“I’ve been trying to help navigate a friend who recently passed without a will or trust. Eric has been great guiding me through the maze. He gave me peace of mind, knowing I could count on him.”
“I highly recommend the Law Office of Eric Ridley to any family looking to create a trust. He is thorough, patiently explains the entire process, and guided us in making the right decisions.”
Begin the
conversation.
The first call is unhurried, and there is no fee for it. We will tell you whether you need us, what a working plan looks like for your family, and what it would cost — before you decide anything.