Avneet K. Sidhu
Partner
Avneet Sidhu represents private clients and public entities in a variety of real estate matters, including land use and zoning as well as real property transactions. Her focus is ensuring her clients' projects are in compliance with local and state regulations, like the California Environmental Quality Act. Ms. Sidhu’s particular skill is providing an efficient and creative path forward for complex transactions and projects. Educational History • Simon Fraser University, M.A., Experimental Psychology (2005) • University of British Columbia, J.D. (2003) • University of Alberta, B.A., Psychology (1996) Ms. Sidhu’s current firm, Grid Legal, provides outside counsel expertise to the Port of San Diego, County of San Diego, and the City of San Marcos. Their representative private projects include residential, hotel, industrial and commercial projects throughout Southern California. Ms. Sidhu is a Lecturer in the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University, where she teaches business law to undergraduate and graduate students. She is an active member of the Association of Environmental Professionals and the South Asian Bar Association of San Diego. Ms. Sidhu is also a past Chair of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Environmental/Land Use Law Section, and past President and Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Carlsbad. She served as a reviewer for the 2016, 2018 and 2019 editions of the “California Municipal Law Handbook.” Ms. Sidhu has presented on a variety of topics related to real estate transactions, land use, and the California Environmental Quality Act to California County Counsel Real Estate Division, City Attorney Association of San Diego, and for CEB.
Stephanie Smith
Partner
Stephanie Smith is a partner at Grid Legal, LLP. She represents public and private clients in a variety of CEQA and land use matters. Ms. Smith also assists client with commercial, retail, and residential transactions by drafting purchase and sale agreements, easement, option agreement, leases, and licenses. She is adept at helping with due diligence and frequently provides land use opinion letters to clients and lenders. Prior to founding Grid Legal, Ms. Smith was an associate at DLA Piper in Los Angeles, and senior deputy counsel at the County of San Diego, where she represented County departments and advised on land use, regulatory matters, and CEQA. She graduated, cum laude, from Pepperdine School of Law and has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Washington. Ms. Smith was selected as a Rising Star in the area of land use by Super Lawyers in 2020 and 2021; recognized as a Leader in Law Finalist in 2021 by the San Diego Business Journal; and served as a member on the San Diego Mission Bay Park Committee. She was tapped by CREW San Diego to speak about a new California housing law and has been a frequent panelist and author on CEQA topics, including serving as a co-panelist at the 2022 CEQA Essentials Workshop in San Diego.
