Holly Gilani is a seasoned trial lawyer and strategic advisor with more than 20 years of experience representing high-net-worth individuals, families, fiduciaries, family offices, and closely held businesses in trust and fiduciary litigation, business disputes, international arbitration, and complex commercial matters. In addition to her litigation practice, Holly serves as Outside General Counsel to families, family offices, trustees, executives, and closely held businesses, advising on governance, fiduciary obligations, transactions, contracts, succession planning, and entity structuring.
Holly handles all phases of litigation and dispute resolution, from pre-suit counseling and risk assessment through discovery, contested motion practice, mediation, arbitration, trial, and appeal. Known for her practical judgment and trial readiness, she helps clients navigate sensitive disputes involving trusts and estates, business ownership, fiduciary duties, governance, contracts, and cross-border matters.
Representative matters include obtaining a complete dismissal of claims in a $30 million beneficiary dispute and defeating a petition to remove her client as trustee; negotiating a $1 million resolution of trust litigation that began with a $15 million demand; securing a $4.8 million recovery in a financial fraud and breach of contract action; and obtaining a $20 million recovery in a shareholder breach of fiduciary duty case. Holly has also represented clients in international arbitrations involving more than $500 million in cross-border assets before the ICC, LCIA, AAA, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Prior to joining FBFK, Holly was a Partner at FBT Gibbons and earlier a Partner at Hess-Verdon & Associates. Prior to returning to California, Holly spent nearly a decade in Dubai advising clients on cross-border investments, business structures, international transactions, and disputes involving the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), and other international jurisdictions.
Holly is the author of “California Supreme Court Clarifies Trust Amendment Standards” for Bloomberg Law, recognized as one of Bloomberg Law’s Top 5 High-Net-Worth Estate Planning Articles of 2025, and “Capacity Standards in California Trust Litigation” for the Daily Journal/California Lawyer. She has lectured on fiduciary litigation and estate planning topics and delivered the keynote address at the California CPAs Conference in San Diego.
Holly earned her LL.M. from Harvard Law School and her J.D. from Whittier Law School. She serves on the Board of the Harvard Law School Women’s Alliance and is a certified arbitrator with the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration (IICRA). She is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia and is fluent in French and Persian, with working knowledge of Spanish and reading proficiency in Arabic.
