Your Trusted Estate Planning & Business Attorney in Yorba Linda
Petersen Legacy Law, APC is an estate planning attorney in Yorba Linda helping families and business owners protect assets, avoid probate when possible, and build a legacy plan that matches real life in California.
Estate Planning Services in Yorba Linda
Estate planning should be straightforward and fit your schedule. Petersen Legacy Law, APC offers convenient estate planning appointments in office or online, with customized document preparation to meet all of your Estate Planning needs. Choose in-office signing or in-home signing across Orange County and the Inland Empire, and get step-by-step guidance so your trust, will, and incapacity documents are completed correctly.
Wills and Trusts
Create a clear plan for asset distribution with wills and living trusts designed to eliminate probate and protect privacy.
Advance Health Care Directives
Document medical preferences and appoint a health care agent so your wishes are respected during emergencies.
Powers of Attorney
Designate someone you trust to handle financial decisions if you become incapacitated and avoid court involvement where possible.
Probate and Estate Administration
Guidance for executors and families navigating probate in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino County, filings, deadlines, and proper distribution.
Asset Protection and Tax Planning
Strategic planning to protect wealth, reduce risk, and preserve assets for future generations under California law.
Special Planning Needs
Guardianship designations, special needs planning, and pet protection planning to ensure the people and dependents you care about are covered.
Business Law Services for Yorba Linda Entrepreneurs
Petersen Legacy Law, APC provides business law support for entrepreneurs and companies throughout Yorba Linda and Orange County. From forming your entity to creating and enforcing contracts and planning a smooth exit, we help reduce risk and support long term stability.
Business Formation and Structuring
LLCs, corporations, and partnerships formed with the right legal foundation for compliance and liability protection.
Contracts and Agreements
Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements that protect your interests, including vendor, employment, lease, and partnership contracts.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
Ongoing support with bylaws, operating agreements, shareholder matters, and compliance to help keep your business in good standing.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Legal guidance for buying, selling, or merging a business, including due diligence, deal structure, and negotiation support.
Employment Law Compliance
Support with workplace policies, wage and hour issues, and proactive compliance to reduce disputes and exposure.
Succession Planning and Exit Strategies
Plan for leadership transition, buyouts, or sale with legal strategies that protect the business and align with your personal estate plan.
The Estate Planning Process in Yorba Linda, Made Simple.
Most people put off estate planning because they are not sure where to start, what documents they need, or how California law impacts their family. As an estate planning attorney in Yorba Linda, Petersen Legacy Law, APC uses an education-first process that walks you through your options, clarifies your goals, and turns them into a customized plan you can rely on. We help you understand what a living trust does, when a will is still needed, and how powers of attorney and health care directives protect you during incapacity. By the end, you know exactly what you’re signing, how it works, and what steps keep your plan effective over time.
Convenient Estate Planning Options That Fit Your Life
We keep the process efficient without sacrificing quality. With customized document preparation, and flexible signing options, you can complete your plan in a way that works for your schedule. Choose in office signing or in home signing, and get step by step support to reduce delays and uncertainty.
Talk With an Attorney and Know Exactly What to Do Next
Schedule a free 15 minute consultation with Ramona Petersen, an estate planning attorney in Yorba Linda who will listen to your goals, explain your options under California law, and give you a clear, practical plan for what to do next.
Proudly serving Yorba LInda and all of Orange County and the Inland Empire
Petersen Legacy Law, APC serves clients in Yorba Linda and throughout Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. If you live near Imperial Blvd. Yorba Linda Ave., Green Valley Road, or commute through the 91, 241 or 55 Freeways, we are positioned to help you create a plan that fits your family and your assets, under California law.
Why Choose Petersen Legacy Law, APC
You deserve an attorney who explains your options clearly, builds a plan around your goals, and makes it easier to follow through. Our firm is built for clients who want practical guidance, long- term protection, and a process that respects their time.
27+ Years of California Legal Experience
Your plan is guided by deep experience and careful attention to California estate and business law considerations.
Education-First Approach
We start by helping you understand your options so you can make confident decisions rather than guessing.
Customized Solutions, Not Templates
Your plan is designed around your assets, family needs, and future goals, not generic fill in the blank documents.
Meet Your Attorney: Ramona Petersen
Ramona Petersen is a licensed California attorney with over 27 years of experience helping families and business owners protect what matters most through clear, customized estate planning and business-focused legal strategy. With a background in estate law, corporate counsel, and HR leadership, she brings a practical, well-rounded perspective to planning that helps clients avoid probate headaches, reduce uncertainty, and make confident decisions. Her commitment to this work is personal, shaped by her own family’s experience navigating medical decisions and honoring a loved one’s wishes through a well-prepared trust. Today, Ramona is passionate about helping clients create plans that cover every stage, from incapacity to asset distribution, so their legacy is protected and their loved ones are cared for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our General FAQ section!
Find quick answers to common questions.
Attorney Ramona Petersen's practice focuses on helping individuals, families and businesses make important decisions today to avoid unnecessary pain and conflict tomorrow.
She understands how complicated the estate planning process can be and guides her clients to ensure that their loved ones are taken care of, and their final wishes are carried out.
Ramona received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Chapman University in Orange, CA and is a graduate of Western State University School of Law.
Ramona is passionate about giving back and in 2025 received the MyTod Giver's Award for her work with underserved youth in southern California.
A frequent speaker at schools, workplaces, and churches, Laura enjoys educating families, individuals, and business owners in her community.
In her spare time, Ramona enjoys traveling, exercise, and theater. She is also an avid food and wine enthusiast.
Petersen Legacy Law, APC is a boutique, women-owned law firm based in Southern California. We prepare comprehensive estate plans for residents residing anywhere in the state of California. We also help entrepreneurs and businesses in all 50 states establish and run a legally sound business.
Follow us on Instagram @PetersenLegacyLaw
We have an easy, 3-step process designed to have your trust and other estate planning documents created and signed in 6-8 weeks:
* The first step is to attend your Peace of Mind Planning Session. You’ll fill out a secure online questionnaire (“Family Profile”) before we meet so we can make the best use of our time together. At this Zoom session, you’ll learn all about your options and our flat fees. When you are ready to move forward, we’ll email you an engagement letter and invoice, both of which can be executed online.
* Next is your Estate Plan Design Meeting. We’ll roll up our sleeves and design your trust and other estate planning documents, working off the information you provided in your Family Profile. After this session, I’ll draft your documents, and send a copy for your review about two weeks later. We’ll then make any changes or updates you’d like to make. When everything is good to go, we’ll coordinate an in-person Signing Ceremony. (Signing Ceremonies can also be remote if needed)
*Your Signing Ceremony is where you’ll sign your documents with the proper legal formalities, in front of two witnesses and a notary. We can have this session at one of our offices or your home. Following execution of the documents, we are available for free, unlimited lifetime consultations regarding your estate plan.
You can expect 60 minutes with an attorney who listens without interrupting and will make sure you fully understand your options before making any decisions! It’s very important to us that you feel heard and have your questions answered. We’ll also review our process, flat fees, and overall client experience so you know exactly what you are getting and what the investment will be.
When you are ready to move forward, whether at your Peace of Mind Planning Session, or later, let me know. We’ll send you an engagement letter via DocuSign and an invoice via our secure online payment provider. Once these housekeeping items are taken care of, you’ll schedule your Estate Plan Design Meeting with Ramona.
Estate Planning Clients:
Let me start by saying what we do NOT need! We do NOT need account statements, social security numbers, or tax returns. We DO need information on what kind of assets you own (house, retirement account, life insurance, etc.), their relative value, and how they are titled (jointly, individually, etc.) Beyond that, we simply need answers to questions about your personal estate planning preferences, including:
* Who you would want raising your minor children if something happened to you and your spouse or partner
* Who you want to be in charge of your children’s money until they are old enough to mange it themselves
* Who you want making medical and financial decisions for you in the event of your incapacity
Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers to these questions right away! You’ll have plenty of time to think things over throughout the process.
Business Clients:
Since every situation is unique, we will need to meet to discuss all the information that may be needed.
Estate planning is simply the process of getting legal documents in place so that your chosen individuals are appointed to take care of you, your children, your assets, and your finances in the event of your death or incapacity. The process also involves naming the people you want to inherit your assets when you are gone. An “estate plan” is simply a bundle of all the documents needed to accomplish these objectives.
If you don’t currently have a will or trust, you may think you don’t have an estate plan….but you do. It’s just that the state of CA has written it for you! All states have a default plan for your family and assets in the event of your incapacity or death. That’s the plan you have now. Estate planning is “opting out” of the default plan and putting your own wishes in place.
It depends! Estate planning is not one size fits all, so it’s hard for us to give you a quote without knowing more about you. Even if you believe your situation is relatively simple, there are likely nuances you are not considering. We discuss our fees and process at length in the Peace of Mind Planning Session, after we have counseled you on all your options. We do not discuss our fees outside the Peace of Mind Planning Session.
We understand that cost is an important factor in choosing an attorney, and that estate planning is a significant investment for many. It is our goal to be as transparent and fair as possible. For that reason, we offer flat fees as opposed to billing by the hour, so you know exactly what your investment will be. We also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not happy with our services, we will make it right, or refund your money.
Our process is designed to have your estate planning documents signed within 6-8 weeks of your Peace of Mind Planning Session. It depends in part on your schedule and how long it takes for you to review your draft documents.
No. Wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents need to be signed with very specific formalities or they will not be considered legally valid. That means signing in person, in front of 2 witnesses and a notary (which we provide). The witnesses are there to confirm you are lucid and not under duress, and the notary is there to confirm you are who you say you are. Any changes you make to your documents in the future will need to be executed with the same legal formalities.
We take on a limited number of clientele each month so we can offer a high level of service to each family. We work with people who value our advice and are seeking a long-term working relationship. If you are looking for the cheapest attorney you can find, do not want to devote time to learning about and understanding your options, or do not feel comfortable completing the Family Profile before our session, we are not the right law firm for you, and would be happy to refer you to a lawyer who may be a better fit.
You have two options with your estate planning: a will-based plan, or a living trust-based plan. The vast majority of my clients choose a living trust. A living trust is a document where you appoint a chosen individual to manage your assets should you become incapacitated and distribute them to your family at your death. It is almost always preferrable to a will because it is designed to avoid the time, expense, and publicity of probate, which a will cannot avoid.
It comes as a surprise to many of my clients that having a will does not avoid probate court…they guarantee it!
I go over the difference between a will and a living trust in depth during the Peace of Mind Planning Session. The most common question I get at the end of this session is, “Why would anybody ever do a will?!” Ultimately, however, the decision is yours.
Speak With an Attorney About Your Next Steps
Ramona Petersen is a licensed California attorney with over 27 years of experience helping families and business owners protect what matters most through clear, customized estate planning and business-focused legal strategy. With a background in estate law, corporate counsel, and HR leadership, she brings a practical, well-rounded perspective to planning that helps clients avoid probate headaches, reduce uncertainty, and make confident decisions. Her commitment to this work is personal, shaped by her own family’s experience navigating medical decisions and honoring a loved one’s wishes through a well-prepared trust. Today, Ramona is passionate about helping clients create plans that cover every stage, from incapacity to asset distribution, so their legacy is protected and their loved ones are cared for.
Get in touch
- Call: (909) 935-0456
- Location: Yorba Linda, CA (serving Anaheim Hills, Placentia, Fullerton, Orange, Garden Grove, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Corona, Riverside, Eastvale, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and all Orange County and Inland Empire communities)
- Hours: Mon–Fri: 9AM - 6PM Sat: 9AM - 1PM