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CGS3’s Chanel Di Blasi and Riley Cutner-Orrantia Named as Finalists in Annual 40 Under 40 Awards
CGS3 Attorneys Lauded by San Diego Business Journal
SAN DIEGO – Chanel Di Blasi and Riley Cutner-Orrantia – both attorneys at Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson (CGS3) – have been recognized as finalists in the San Diego Business Journal’s “Next Top Business Leaders Under 40” for 2024.
Each year, the San Diego Business Journal, a local business-oriented newspaper, lauds San Diego’s top young talent – honoring finalists and winners in a series of special supplements.
According to Sean Southard, founding partner of CGS3, Di Blasi and Cutner-Orrantia are each well deserving of this latest accolade. “Chanel and Riley are talented young attorneys who play critical roles on our firm’s legal team,” he said. “Both have a strong work ethic as well as a proven track record of resolving complex issues while completing challenging transactions.”
Cutner-Orrantia has emerged as an expert in complex luxury retail leasing and development transactions and also represents developers and investors in all phases of the commercial real estate cycle – including acquisition, financing, and construction in connection with commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects. Prior to joining CGS3, she cultivated her legal and deal management skills in a variety of transactions including real estate, renewable energy, and P-3 infrastructure projects as an associate at the Denver office of Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP, a boutique firm with a nationwide practice. She has also worked as an associate real estate broker and was a student attorney with Colorado Law Sustainable Community Development Clinic.
In addition to the law, she is passionate about and recognized in the environmental arena and has worked for Earthjustice and was the managing editor of the Colorado Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Review.
Active in both the legal and business community, Cutner-Orrantia volunteers her time to the CREW Careers Committee which strives to educate and expose underrepresented young adults of San Diego to opportunities in the industry. She is also a member of the California Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Women’s Energy Network, NAIOP San Diego and participated in NAIOP’s Developing Leader Mentorship program. She holds a B.S. degree in environmental science with a minor in geography from the University of California, Los Angeles and J.D. and Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Certificate from the University of Colorado School of Law.
Di Blasi has a strong background in a broad range of landlord-tenant and business real estate disciplines and has effectively represented landlords in navigating the dense maze of California regulations – with a particular emphasis on residential and commercial landlord-tenant disputes, leasing, contracts, affordable housing, and compliance. Since joining CGS3, she has honed her skills in drafting and negotiating construction and purchase and sale agreements and commercial leases of all types. Known for her client responsiveness, efficiency and encyclopedic knowledge of California’s landlord-tenant laws, she takes pride in helping clients with complex and challenging legal needs.
Previously, she was an attorney in the landlord-tenant department and the business real estate group at Kimball, Tirey & St. John in San Diego, handling a range of matters within the business, real estate and landlord/tenant sectors.
Active in the community, Di Blasi has donated time and resources to local woman’s and homeless shelters – including Rachel’s Women’s Center and the Los Angeles Mission – and serves as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is involved with the SDSU Alumni association, a member of the San Diego County Bar Association and the Lawyers Club of San Diego. She holds a B.S. degree in television, film and news media production from San Diego State University and a J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
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 recruits 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.