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CGS3 Celebrates Thirteen Year Anniversary and Continued Growth

July 15, 2026 CGS3 General

Founded 2013

SAN DIEGO (July 15, 2026) – With a roster of high-profile clients, an expanding presence across California and nationwide, and a team of highly respected legal professionals, Southern California-based Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3) is celebrating thirteen years of growth, achievement and industry leadership this month.

Since its founding in July 2013, CGS3 has played a significant role in many of the region’s most noteworthy real estate matters – from luxury and specialty retail leasing transactions to complex commercial sales and acquisitions, as well as high-stakes litigation matters.  As the firm enters its fourteenth year, CGS3 has continued to strengthen its reputation as one of California’s leading commercial real estate law firms, recognized for its depth of experience, collaborative approach and commitment to delivering strategic counsel for clients across an evolving real estate landscape.

Over the past year, the firm has reached several key milestones and achieved notable accomplishments, including:

  • Expanded its Northern California practice – and strengthened its capabilities and reach throughout the state – with the addition of Yalda Vahdani as its newest partner.
  • Recognized Dorothy Groza’s leadership and significant contributions with her promotion from senior counsel to partner.
  • Launched a new Sustainability and Renewable Energy Practice Group to address increasing demand for legal guidance in sustainability initiatives and emerging energy opportunities within the real estate sector.
  • Supported thought leadership in the industry, with CGS3 partners Dorothy Groza and Joe von Meier moderating a number of retailrelated panels.
  • Multiple accolades for firm attorneys, including recognition in Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Los Angeles Business Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers and SD Metro’s “40 under 40,” as well as the San Diego Business Journal’s “SD 500,” “Influential Veteran Business Leaders” and “Leaders in Law,” Law.com’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track” award – to name just a few.
  • Active community and industry involvement including involvement in and sponsorships for: Burnham Moore Center for Real Estate, Camp Out for Kids, Crew San Diego, CREDA (fka NAIOP) San Diego, Food on Foot, Life Science Cares, San Diego Center for Children and Voice of San Diego.
  • Successfully executed a multitude of high-profile real estate transactions and legal matters, including landmark luxury retail leasing for Festival Companies with Gucci, Fendi, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Prada across more than 500,000 square feet; a 300,000-square-foot sublease with Google in San Francisco’s financial district — the largest transaction there since the pandemic began; office and headquarters leases for Herbalife, The Irvine Company, and Hitachi Digital; life sciences campus transactions exceeding 750,000 square feet in South San Francisco and 200,000 square feet in the UTC submarket of San Diego; industrial leasing throughout Southern California for Link Logistics with tenants including Amazon, SpaceX, PepsiCo, and Rivian Automotive; the $140+ million disposition of a five-star luxury hotel in Southern California; a $700 million redevelopment project in San Diego’s UTC area; construction contracts for the Pendry Hotel San Diego and the Montage La Quinta luxury resort; and complex commercial litigation resulting in an eight-week trial victory and a $3.4 million settlement recovery for a commercial property owner.

“Over the last thirteen years, CGS3 has continued to evolve and grow while remaining committed to the values on which the firm was founded: best-in-class client service, a collaborative “street smart” approach and legal excellence,” said Sean Southard, a CGS3 founding partner.  “As we look ahead, we remain focused on building upon that foundation while continuing to help clients navigate opportunities and challenges in an increasingly dynamic marketplace.”

About Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3)

CGS3 is a recognized leader among a new generation of commercial real estate law firms.  The firm’s practice covers the full commercial real estate life cycle, including finance, acquisition/disposition, entity formation, tax, construction & development, land use, leasing, distressed asset workouts and dispute resolution.  CGS3 recruits top real estate attorneys from large corporate firms and senior in-house positions across the country.  For more information, visit http://www.cgs3.com.

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