Avanceña was born on April 13, 1872 to Lucas Avanceña and Petra Quiusay in Molo, Iloilo City, but grew up in Arevalo, Iloilo City.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Bachelor of Laws at University of Santo Tomas.
Ramón Avanceña served as a legal adviser to the Federal State of the Visayas, the revolutionary government of provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Antique, and was chosen to negotiate with the American forces on Panay during the Philippine–American War.
During the American Colonial Era, he was appointed as assistant attorney in the Bureau of Justice. In 1905, he was appointed auxiliary judge. He was Attorney General of the Philippines from 1914 until 1917, when he was appointed to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. Upon the death of Manuel Araullo in 1924, he succeeded as Chief Justice, but he had to wait until 1925 to be formally appointed.
He was supposed to join Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon in exile during the onset of the Japanese Occupation, but worried that he would not be together with his family, so he decided to stay put.
His sons José, Alberto, and Jesús became practicing attorneys.
The Ramon Avanceña National High School in Arevalo, Iloilo City and Ramon Avanceña High School in Quiapo, Manila are named after him.