Before founding Gray & Barba in 2002, Chris Gray had worked as a criminal prosecutor and then as a family law attorney — two practice areas where the adversarial stakes are high and the human complexity is constant. When she transitioned exclusively to estate planning and probate, she brought that background into a domain that most attorneys approach only from a transactional angle.
Overview
Gray & Barba, LLP is a Thousand Oaks, California law firm practicing exclusively in trusts and estates. The firm was founded approximately in 2002 when Chris Gray shifted her practice to estate planning and probate after years in criminal prosecution and family law. Claudia E. Barba joined as co-founding partner, bringing her own transition from business litigation into the same specialized domain.
The firm’s exclusive focus means it handles the full lifecycle of estate and trust matters: planning documents, administration after death or incapacity, probate proceedings, conservatorship, guardianship, elder law, and elder abuse. The two founding partners bring complementary credentials — Gray’s background in prosecution and family law gives her experience with contested, high-stakes matters; Barba’s business litigation background sharpens transactional analysis. Both are members of the State Bar of California’s Trusts and Estates Section and the Ventura County Bar Association’s Estate Planning Section.
A notable operational feature of the firm is Claudia Barba’s bilingual capability. She provides legal services in both English and Spanish — a meaningful service offering in Ventura County, where a significant portion of the population is Spanish-speaking.
The firm offers free initial consultations and is located at 1333 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Ste. 212, in Thousand Oaks. It serves clients across Ventura County, including Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning. The firm drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives. Both partners have practiced exclusively in this space since 2002, giving the firm over two decades of concentrated experience in California estate planning.
Trust and Estate Administration. Following a death or incapacity event, the firm guides trustees and personal representatives through the administrative process: asset collection and inventory, creditor notification and resolution, accounting, and distribution. California’s trust administration procedures can be technically demanding, and the firm handles both trustee representation and beneficiary representation.
Probate. For estates that must pass through the California probate court system, the firm manages the full proceedings, from petition through final accounting and distribution. The firm also advises on probate avoidance strategies as part of planning.
Conservatorship and Guardianship. When an adult becomes incapacitated or a minor needs legal protection, the courts may appoint a conservator or guardian. The firm handles these petitions and represents clients in these proceedings.
Elder Law and Medi-Cal Planning. The firm advises on elder care planning, including Medi-Cal eligibility and asset protection strategies. Elder abuse is also a named practice area — the firm handles cases involving financial exploitation or other abuse of elderly clients.
Special Needs Trusts. For beneficiaries with disabilities, a properly structured special needs trust preserves eligibility for government benefits while allowing the trust to supplement those benefits. The firm drafts and advises on these instruments.
Pre and Post Marital Property Agreements. The firm assists clients with agreements that address property characterization and distribution in the context of marriage.
Attorney Profiles
Chris Gray co-founded Gray & Barba in 2002 after practicing as a criminal prosecutor and then as a family law attorney in Ventura County. She earned her B.A. in Education from Southwest Texas State University (cum laude) and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1990. She is a member of the State Bar of California’s Trusts and Estates Section, the Ventura County Bar Association’s Estate Planning Section, and the Conejo Valley Estate Planning Council. She served as a past board member of the Southern California Council of Elder Law Attorneys and as past President of the Planned Giving Council of Ventura County. She is admitted to the State Bar of California.
Claudia E. Barba co-founded the firm after a career as a business litigator. She earned her B.A. in History from UCLA in 1996 and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 1999. She is bilingual in English and Spanish, which allows her to serve the Spanish-speaking population throughout Ventura County directly. She is a member of the State Bar of California’s Trusts and Estates Section, the Ventura County Bar Association’s Estate Planning Section, WealthCounsel, the Christian Legal Society, and the Estate Planners’ Council (EPiC Peer Groups). She is admitted to the State Bar of California.
Location and Service Area
1333 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Ste. 212, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362. Phone: (805) 777-8408. Email: [email protected]. Website: https://graybarbalaw.com/
The firm serves clients throughout Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura. Free initial consultations are available by phone or email.
Client Focus
Gray & Barba serves individuals and families in Ventura County who need estate planning documents, guidance through estate or trust administration, probate proceedings, or elder law advice. The bilingual capability expands the firm’s effective reach to Spanish-speaking clients who need native-language counsel on estate planning and elder care matters.
Chris Gray’s background as a past president of Ventura County’s Planned Giving Council reflects a professional engagement with charitable giving strategies that benefits clients who wish to include philanthropic goals in their estate plans. Both partners have long records of involvement in county-level bar and planning organizations, situating the firm within the professional infrastructure of Ventura County’s legal community.
Languages: English, Spanish (Claudia Barba).
FAQ
What does it mean that both partners transitioned into estate planning from other areas of law?
Chris Gray practiced as a criminal prosecutor and then as a family law attorney before moving exclusively to estate planning and probate in 2002. Claudia Barba was a business litigator before making the same transition. Those backgrounds inform how each attorney evaluates contested situations — Gray’s prosecution experience gives her insight into factual investigation and dispute dynamics; Barba’s litigation background sharpens transactional review. Both practice exclusively in trusts and estates now.
Does the firm offer bilingual services?
Yes. Claudia Barba is fluent in both English and Spanish and provides legal services in either language.
What geographic area does Gray & Barba serve?
The firm serves all of Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura.
Is there a cost for the initial consultation?
Gray & Barba offers free initial consultations. Contact the firm at (805) 777-8408 or [email protected] to schedule.
Does the firm handle disputes over trusts and estates, or only planning and administration?
The firm’s practice areas include conservatorship and elder abuse proceedings, which involve court process. Whether it handles contested trust or will disputes between beneficiaries is not specified in public materials; clients with contested matters should inquire directly.
Closing
Gray & Barba’s combination of two career transitions — from prosecution and family law on one side, and from business litigation on the other — produced a firm with an unusually varied pre-specialization foundation for an exclusively trusts and estates practice. Bilingual services and two decades of focused Ventura County practice define a firm that is both locally established and substantively specialized.