# Ridley Law: California Estate Planning, Trust Administration & Probate

> Law Office of Eric Ridley. California estate planning, living trusts, trust administration, and probate. Office in Port Hueneme; serving Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties, and statewide by phone or Zoom. Attorney Eric D. Ridley has practiced estate planning since 2010. The firm works directly with clients in plain English and does the trust funding and follow-through that most plans skip. Phone: (805) 244-5291.

## Firm facts
- Attorney: Eric D. Ridley, California State Bar #273702, practicing since 2010.
- Office: 567 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #210, Port Hueneme, CA 93041.
- Phone: (805) 244-5291.
- Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Service area: Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties; statewide by phone/Zoom.
- Flat fees: revocable living trust plan $4,100 for a married couple, $3,700 for a single person.
- California small-estate threshold: $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025 (Prob. Code section 13100).
- 2026 federal estate and gift tax exemption: $15,000,000 per person (P.L. 119-21).
- California has no state estate or inheritance tax.
- Last updated: 2026-07-20.

## Start here
- [Estate Planning overview](https://ridleylawoffices.com/estate-planning/): what a California estate plan includes and who needs one.
- [Living Trusts & Wills](https://ridleylawoffices.com/practice/living-trusts-wills/): the core documents, explained plainly.
- [Living Trust vs. Will in California](https://ridleylawoffices.com/will-vs-living-trust-california/): what each does and does not do.
- [Trust Funding](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-funding/): why an unfunded trust still lands a family in probate.
- [Estate Planning Glossary](https://ridleylawoffices.com/estate-planning-glossary-california/): plain-English definitions of common terms.

## Settling an estate (trust administration & probate)
- [Successor Trustee: what to do first](https://ridleylawoffices.com/successor-trustee-california/): the first 90 days when you are in charge of a trust after a death.
- [Trust Administration](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-administration/): the work of settling a trust, and what the firm takes off your plate.
- [California Probate](https://ridleylawoffices.com/probate/): the public court process when there is no trust.
- [California's $750,000 home probate shortcut (AB 2016)](https://ridleylawoffices.com/simplified-probate-california-primary-residence/): the 2025 simplified petition for a primary residence, and the updated small-estate limits.
- [Heggstad petition](https://ridleylawoffices.com/heggstad-petition-filing-lawyer-california/): a faster fix when a house was left out of the trust.
- [When estate plans fail: real situations](https://ridleylawoffices.com/when-estate-plans-fail-california/): composite examples of how signed plans still cost families.

## Disputes (trust and probate litigation)
- [Trust and Probate Litigation in California](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-and-probate-litigation-california/): trustee and executor misconduct, trust and will contests, undue influence, fraud, and financial elder abuse, with the deadlines and the Prob. Code section 859 double damages provision.
- [Trust and Probate Litigation in Camarillo](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-litigation-attorney-camarillo/): the same work locally, including where Ventura County actually hears probate matters.
- [How to contest a trust](https://ridleylawoffices.com/how-to-contest-a-trust-california/): grounds, standing, and the 120-day clock under Prob. Code section 16061.8.
- [How to remove a trustee](https://ridleylawoffices.com/how-to-remove-a-trustee-california/): the grounds for removal under Prob. Code section 15642.
- [No-contest clauses](https://ridleylawoffices.com/no-contest-clause-california/): why a clause is only enforceable against a direct contest brought without probable cause.
- [Financial elder abuse and trust contests](https://ridleylawoffices.com/financial-elder-abuse-trust-contests-california/): the mandatory attorney-fee award under Welf. & Inst. Code section 15657.5.
- [You received a section 16061.7 trust notice](https://ridleylawoffices.com/received-trust-notice-16061-7/): what the notice starts and how long you have.

## Key questions
- [What an estate plan costs in California](https://ridleylawoffices.com/living-trust-cost-california/): what drives the price and what probate costs instead.
- [Incapacity planning](https://ridleylawoffices.com/incapacity-planning-california/): power of attorney, health directive, and avoiding conservatorship.
- [Inherited IRA 10-year rule](https://ridleylawoffices.com/inherited-ira-10-year-rule-california/): how beneficiary forms and the SECURE Act affect heirs.
- [Prop 19 planning](https://ridleylawoffices.com/prop-19-planning/): the inherited-home property-tax rules and the move-in clock.
- [Trust Health Check](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-health-check/): a seven-question self-diagnostic for whether a plan actually works.

## Guide libraries
Every published article is organized into a topic library. Each library opens with a plain-English overview and links every guide on that topic.
- [California Probate guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/probate-guides/): when probate is required, how the process runs, and what it costs.
- [Trustee and beneficiary guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-administration-guides/): what to do when you become successor trustee and what beneficiaries can ask for.
- [Living trust and will guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/living-trust-guides/): what a will does, how a living trust works, and what a complete plan includes.
- [Trust funding guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-funding-guides/): retitling assets into a trust, changing or revoking a trust, and why DIY trusts fail.
- [Estate and inheritance tax guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/estate-tax-guides/): the federal estate tax, step-up in basis, capital gains, and Prop 19 for 2026.
- [Inheriting a house guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/inherited-property-guides/): the mortgage, reassessment, title transfer, and sibling buyouts.
- [Retirement and beneficiary-asset guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/retirement-beneficiary-guides/): IRAs, 401(k)s, annuities, POD accounts, and the inherited-IRA 10-year rule.
- [Family-situation guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/family-estate-planning-guides/): blended families, minor children, special needs, pet trusts, and disputes.
- [Incapacity and POA guides](https://ridleylawoffices.com/incapacity-guides/): durable powers of attorney, health care directives, and planning for incapacity.

## Tools
- [California Probate Fee Calculator](https://ridleylawoffices.com/probate-calculator/): estimate statutory California probate attorney and executor fees for an estate.
- [Fees](https://ridleylawoffices.com/fees/): flat-fee pricing, quoted up front; revocable living trust plan $4,100 married couple / $3,700 single person.
- [Reviews](https://ridleylawoffices.com/reviews/): client reviews, rated 4.9 across 189 reviews.
- [About Eric Ridley](https://ridleylawoffices.com/about/): background, credentials, and how the firm works.

## Contact
- Book a consultation with Eric Ridley: https://ridley.click/eric-60
- Phone: (805) 244-5291
- Service area: Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties, plus statewide California by phone or Zoom.

Attorney advertising. Content on this site is general information, not legal advice.

## Tools and new resources (added July 2026)
- [Trust or Will? decision aid](https://ridleylawoffices.com/trust-or-will/): a two-minute interactive answer to the most common first question.
- [Who inherits in California? interactive](https://ridleylawoffices.com/who-inherits-california/): intestate succession by family shape, with statute cites.
- [California Transfer on Death Deed](https://ridleylawoffices.com/transfer-on-death-deed-california/): how the TOD deed works through January 1, 2032, and when a trust beats it.
- [Medi-Cal asset limits 2026](https://ridleylawoffices.com/medi-cal-asset-limit-california/): the reinstated limits, the July 2027 drop, and the eligibility vs. recovery distinction.
- [Medi-Cal income limits 2026](https://ridleylawoffices.com/medi-cal-income-limits-california/): MAGI, Aged and Disabled FPL, and share of cost, kept separate.
- [Protecting the house from Medi-Cal](https://ridleylawoffices.com/protect-house-from-medi-cal-california/): the probate-only recovery rule and what actually protects the home.
- [Asset protection in California](https://ridleylawoffices.com/asset-protection-california/): what works, what is a myth, and why timing controls.
- [California homestead exemption](https://ridleylawoffices.com/california-homestead-exemption/): the 2026 protected-equity range and how it works.
- [LLCs for rental property](https://ridleylawoffices.com/llc-for-rental-property-california/): honest costs and limits of the rental LLC.
- [Business succession planning](https://ridleylawoffices.com/business-succession-planning-california/): keeping an owner-operated business alive after the owner.
- [California estate tax in 2026](https://ridleylawoffices.com/california-estate-tax-planning-2026/): there is none, and what that actually means for planning.
- [LegalZoom and Trust and Will vs. an attorney](https://ridleylawoffices.com/legalzoom-trust-and-will-vs-california-attorney/): a fair comparison with current pricing.
- [Received a section 16061.7 trust notice](https://ridleylawoffices.com/received-trust-notice-16061-7/): the 120-day clock for beneficiaries.
- [2026 California estate law changes](https://ridleylawoffices.com/2026-california-estate-law-changes/): the year's figures in one place.
- [What to do when someone dies](https://ridleylawoffices.com/what-to-do-when-someone-dies-california/): the first steps in order.
- [Prop 19 reassessment calculator](https://ridleylawoffices.com/proposition-19-calculator/): estimate reassessment on an inherited home.