Partner Krystyna Blakeslee Interviewed by Commercial Observer
In the Media | May 7, 2026
Commercial Observer
During a wide-ranging interview with Commercial Observer [PDF], partner Krystyna Blakeslee spoke about her work at Gibson Dunn on complex real estate transactions and how her experience as a former U.S. Marine instilled in her a sense of discipline and purpose that has provided stark advantages for herself, her colleagues, and her clients.
Krystyna also stressed that people always matter most, that “you have to both maintain and have really good relationships, and also do good work. You have to do both of those things.” She added: “The difference between a transaction that feels like a home run and one that just feels closed is how everyone behaved during the transaction, and how everyone feels about each other after that. I always want everyone, especially the people working directly for me, to feel really good about the work they did.”
A member of the firm’s Real Estate practice in New York, Krystyna focuses on commercial real estate finance and investment. She has led some of the country’s largest and most high-profile commercial real estate transactions in recent years. Krystyna concentrates on the origination, acquisition, and disposition of mortgage loans, mezzanine financings, preferred equity, bridge loans, and corporate debt. She also has extensive experience in restructures and workouts, including the exercise of remedies.