About Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley

I wasn't just handed a law degree. I earned it after living a real life – one that taught me what keeps you awake at night.

In Hollywood, I learned how stories end when contracts fail. Through internet marketing, I discovered how to cut through noise and deliver what people actually need. Renovating homes showed me that solid foundations prevent catastrophic collapse.

These weren't just careers. They were masterclasses in what's at stake when money and family collide.

Gray hair isn't just age. It's battle scars from watching families torn apart by poor planning. It's the wisdom gained from my own failures and victories. It's knowing exactly where the traps are because I've fallen into them myself.

When your 3AM worries revolve around money, you don't need theoretical advice from someone who's only known courtrooms and law books. You need someone who's been in the trenches of real estate, business ownership, and family life.

Your doctor protects your body. I protect everything you've built for those three grown sons of yours. For that amazing spouse who deserves security, not paperwork nightmares.

This isn't just about documents. It's about finally putting those financial fears to rest so you can focus on creating more moments with the people who light up your life.

Let me shoulder the burden of protecting your legacy. You focus on creating it.

Why do I want to make world-class estate planning accessible to everyone?

People suffer needlessly because quality estate planning has been locked behind wealth barriers for generations. I've witnessed families torn apart by poorly crafted or DIY estate plans—preventable tragedies that haunt me.

I don't just draft documents. I transform 5-10 hours of deep conversation into sophisticated protection frameworks that safeguard what matters most: your values, your legacy, your family's future security.

The wealthy have always had access to this level of protection. You deserve the same fortress around your life's work. I'm breaking down those barriers because your family's future shouldn't depend on your tax bracket.

When you die or become incapacitated without proper planning, the state decides your legacy—not you. That's unacceptable. I'm fighting to put that power back where it belongs: in your hands.

Quality estate planning isn't a luxury. It's a fundamental right every family deserves.

Why Do I Do This?

Some lawyers deliver documents. I deliver freedom.

You didn't drag yourself through years of stress and sacrifice to spend your golden years worrying about whether your family will be protected when you're gone.

Ever noticed how your chest tightens when you think about what happens to everything you've built if something happens to you? That knot in your stomach when you wonder if your loved ones will fight over your assets or be forced into courtrooms during their darkest hour of grief?

That feeling is why I left Hollywood, why I abandoned the comfort of my marketing career, why I stepped away from renovation projects that paid well but didn't feed my soul.

Because nothing – absolutely nothing – compares to the moment when I watch that weight lift off your shoulders. When panic transforms into peace. When you walk out of my office knowing your family is finally, completely protected.

My clients don't just get estate plans. They get their sleep back. Their peace of mind back. Their ability to look their children in the eyes and know with absolute certainty: "I've taken care of everything."

The testimonials tell the real story. Not about me – about what happens when someone finally treats your family's future with the reverence it deserves.

You don't need another suit with a law degree who sees your life's work as billable hours. You need someone who's stood where you're standing, who's felt what you're feeling, and who knows exactly how to guide you to the other side.

The decision you make today determines whether your legacy becomes your family's blessing or their burden. Let's make sure it's the former.

I’m in a rare position of trust—people tell me things they won’t tell their spouse, kids, or even their doctor. Not just about money or property—but about fears, guilt, regrets, and hopes.

Most people have no outlet for that. But they give it to me.

That kind of access isn’t just professional—it’s personal. And it creates a ripple effect: when someone feels heard and understood, they make better decisions, protect the people they love, and often pay that clarity forward.

I’m not just giving legal or financial advice. I’m giving people permission to move forward.

What Makes Me Your Personal Lifetime Lawyer?

Right now, someone close to you is facing a crisis they haven't told you about. Maybe it's your aging parent who's secretly terrified about becoming a burden. Maybe it's your spouse who lies awake calculating if there's enough to protect the kids if something happens to you both.

They're suffering in silence because talking about money, death, and vulnerability feels impossible.

I've sat across from hundreds of people just like you—successful, responsible people who finally reached the breaking point where protecting their family became more important than avoiding uncomfortable conversations.

You don't need another cold professional treating your family's future like a transaction.

You need the one person who will stand between your loved ones and the chaos that follows when life happens without a plan.

When the hospital calls at 2AM asking who can make decisions... When your spouse is paralyzed by grief AND paperwork... When your children are fighting through tears over what you "would have wanted"...

That's when you'll understand why my clients call me at their darkest moments, not just during business hours.

I'm not selling legal documents. I'm selling the right to sleep peacefully knowing your family will never face those moments alone.

One call puts me in your corner—permanently. Not as your lawyer, but as the guardian of everything you've worked your entire life to build.

The weight you're carrying? Hand it to someone who's built their life around carrying it for people just like you.

Legal Issues I Handle

• Your Estate Planning
  • Wills,
  • Healthcare Power of Attorney,
  • Healthcare Advanced Directives,
  • Powers of Attorney,
  • Declarations of a Pre-Need Guardian,
  • Living Wills)
• Family Asset Protection
• Financial Advising
• Wealth Management

Legal Issues I DO NOT Handle

• Anything else!

Bar Admissions

• Supreme Court of California
• United States District Court for the Central District of California
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
• United States District Court for the Southern District of California

Professional Affiliations

• American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys:
  • Money Magazine recognized AAEPA multiple times as a consumer legal source
  • Suze Orman in her book "9 Steps to Financial Freedom" recognized AAEPA as a consumer legal source
  • Consumer Reports recognized AAEPA as a resource for attorneys and consumers
  • Integrity Marketing Group recognized AAEPA as "a respected force in the industry" in their 2023 partnership announcement

The AAEPA maintains high standards for its member attorneys, requiring us to complete 36 hours of continuing legal education annually in estate planning, elder law, probate, or trust administration

 

• American Academy Wealth
• Ventura County Bar Association
• Beverly Hills Bar Association