Gabrielle A. Vidal

As co-chair of Loeb & Loeb’s Trust and Estate Litigation practice, Gabrielle Vidal concentrates on high net worth trust, probate, conservatorship and guardianship litigation. Widely recognized for her work, Gabrielle was cited by The Wall Street Journal as “an expert who litigates disputes over wills and high net worth trusts” and was named "Lawyer of the Year" in trusts and estates litigation in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Known for her success at trial in high-profile private wealth disputes, Gabrielle’s practice includes the representation of public figures in highly publicized controversies. Notably, she served as counsel to Sumner Redstone, controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., first securing complete dismissal of a challenge to his advance health care directive and subsequently obtaining an order confirming Mr. Redstone’s capacity and free will to execute his estate plan.

Gabrielle is an accomplished trial lawyer, fiercely protective of her clients and committed to unpacking the psychology and interpersonal dynamics at issue in her cases. Individuals and families turn to Gabrielle not only for her ability to navigate the complex legal and financial issues involved in trust and estate litigation and crisis management, but also for her understanding and appreciation of the sensitive and emotional nature of these cases. Her prioritization of client privacy and experience navigating the most complex family dynamics make her a go-to for the most sensitive situations.

Moreover, Gabrielle’s complex and unique guardianship practice draws upon her extensive trial and probate experience, which includes sensitive family- and child-centered work and cases requiring a detailed psychological approach to resolving high conflict matters. Gabrielle brings her guardianship expertise to guiding her clients through every step of the process and securing the best and safest solution for the minor child and family, while maintaining the utmost privacy and confidentiality possible for her clients.

I strive to ensure that my clients feel they have a protected space where they can work through whatever family issue is being litigated in court. I like to hold that for my clients as kind of a sacred ground.

Maintaining a practice that is nearly unmatched in her peer group, Gabrielle represents clients in disputes regarding the obligations of fiduciaries; interpretation of testamentary instruments; and trust and probate issues arising in the context of family law proceedings.

Gabrielle’s clients include private and corporate fiduciaries, settlors and individual and charitable beneficiaries. In both her pre-litigation advice work and litigated matters, she teams with Loeb & Loeb’s nationally recognized estate planning and tax controversy practices, giving her clients access to the most sophisticated estate and tax planning practitioners.

Gabrielle is a frequent lecturer in her field, a past member appointed to the Judicial Council of California’s Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee, and a past member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Trust and Estate Executive Committee. 

Gabrielle is also a frequent lecturer on trial advocacy skills, evidence and discovery in trust and probate proceedings. Her speaking engagements have included: 

• "2022 Aviva Bobb - Advanced CAC Training: A Focus on the Recent Changes to CA Probate Code and LASC Local Probate Rules," Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Are You There Client? It’s Me, Your Lawyer: Representing Clients With Diminished Capacity,” Beverly Hills Estate Planning Council; Los Angeles Estate Planning Council and Jewish Foundation Los Angeles

• “Evolving Issues in Trust and Estate Litigation: Practice Tips from the Front Line,” Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum

• “Don't Learn the Hard Way: Practice Tips from the Front Lines of Trust and Estate Litigation,” San Fernando Valley Estate Planning Council and Beverly Hills Bar Association Trust & Estate Section

• “Making Your Case: Trial Advocacy in Probate Court,” Speaker with the Hon. Reva G. Goetz and Professor Laurie Levenson, Los Angeles County Bar Association Trust and Estate Section

• “Evidence and Trial Skills for Trusts and Estates Attorneys,” Los Angeles County Bar Association Trust and Estate Section

• “Intelligent Planning for Intellectual Property,” 47th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning

• "Discovery Best Practices," University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Trust and Estate Conference

Gabrielle graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with an honors degree in Political Science. She received her J.D. from Stanford University.