News & Insights

Dorothy Groza Announced as CRE Law Firm’s Newest Partner – Los Angeles Office

Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3), a Southern California-based commercial real estate law firm, has announced the promotion of Dorothy Groza from senior counsel to partner. Groza, who joined the firm in 2024, will continue to work from CGS3’s Los Angeles office.

According to CGS3 founding partner Sean Southard, Groza specializes in commercial real estate, business transactions, and corporate governance, and is a core member of the firm’s growing complex transactions practice group. Her practice spans a broad range of real estate and business matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, financing, secured lending, leasing, and construction involving commercial, residential, industrial, retail, and mixed-use projects for local, regional, and national developers, lenders, and investors.

“At CGS3, we are keenly focused on elevating attorneys with outstanding track records and an ability to get deals done. Dorothy is a proven deal maker and well deserving of the promotion,” Southard said.  “Her dedication to her clients, ability to focus on the issues that really matter and commitment to fulfilling CGS3’s mission of delivering a best-in-class client experience are just a few of many reasons for her promotion. With a unique blend of in-house and firm experience, her entrepreneurial spirit and knack for creative problem-solving make her an invaluable legal advisor to our clients.”

Groza brings extensive experience in sophisticated real estate and business transactions, with particular expertise in structuring and negotiating high-value deals involving real estate finance, secured lending, and regulatory compliance – including international and multi-state development, foreign investment, and joint venture projects. She previously served as general counsel to Empire, a leading California-based retailer, manufacturer, and distributor, where she oversaw all legal functions of the company and managed its external counsel. Concurrently, she also led her own independent law practice, Groza Law, for nine years, where she facilitated the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and development of over $900 million in real estate transactions across the hospitality, food and beverage, retail, multifamily and technology sectors.

Earlier in her career, Groza also served as in-house counsel for SOCA, a multi-state real estate development company, and as an associate attorney at Prenovost, Normandin, Dawe & Rocha, an Orange County-based business, real estate, and construction law firm where she gained valuable litigation experience.

In her off time, Groza is a vintage auto and motorcycle enthusiast who enjoys rally driving through backroads and canyons, and racing the Norra Mexican 1000 in Baja California with friends.

A licensed real estate broker, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist University and earned her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School.

News of her promotion can also be found in San Diego Business Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Bisnow, and Attorney Law Magazine.

About Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3)

CGS3 is a recognized leader among a new generation of commercial real estate law firms with practice areas covering the entire commercial real estate life cycle, including finance, acquisition/disposition, entity formation, tax, development, land use, leasing, distressed asset workouts and dispute resolution. Earning a reputation as one of California’s leading commercial real estate law firms, CGS3 continues to recruit some of the state’s top real estate attorneys from both large corporate firms and senior in-house positions. For more information, visit http://www.cgs3.com.