Christopher A. White

Experience 

Chris represents clients in a wide range of commercial real estate, leasing, finance and corporate transactions, with a particular focus on multi-family, hospitality, office, and retail projects. He is trusted by local and national developers, lenders, and investors to negotiate, document, and close deals that are both complex and time sensitive. Known for his attentiveness and ability to manage high-pressure negotiations, Chris has built long-standing relationships with sophisticated clients who value his practical, business-minded approach.

Chris’s path to law was influenced early by his father Ronald C. White, a St. Petersburg tax and estate planning attorney and former Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Air Force. After initially considering medicine, Chris realized his calling was in the law, combining his analytical skill set with an ability to connect with people and smooth negotiations. Early in his career, he gained experience in both commercial litigation and transactions but soon focused exclusively on transactional work, where he discovered the unique satisfaction of helping clients close deals and move projects forward.

Since joining Johnson Pope in 2013, Chris has handled a wide spectrum of commercial transactions and matters, including real estate acquisitions and sales, commercial leases, loan purchase agreements, loan assumption agreements, development agreements, property management agreements and underwriting and issuing title insurance policies. He has closed transactions under intense deadlines, including a $10 million commercial loan completed in just two (2) business days and a $28 million multi-family acquisition and loan deal where he cleared over $1 million in liens and closed in less than ten (10) days. He also has experience assisting local and regional banks with high-profile projects, such as a $20+ million luxury condominium development on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.

At Johnson Pope, Chris continues to represent national and regional clients in commercial real estate, leasing, finance and corporate matters. His legal acumen, experience and ability to anticipate issues help him understand how opposing parties and their counsel think and negotiate, making him an effective advocate in achieving desirable outcomes for his clients.

Representative Matters

• Multifamily Housing Transactions – Represented a long-standing Midwest and Florida-based multi-family client for more than a decade, advising on acquisitions, financing, and development of properties. Represented a Los Angeles-based joint venture in acquiring over 1,200 multifamily units in Florida in under five years. Cleared over $1 million in liens to close a $28 million purchase and loan transaction in less than ten (10) business days.
• Lending Transactions – Represented local and regional banks and private lenders in connection with loans secured by both real estate and personal property, including conventional mortgage loans, inventory-backed loans and mezzanine financing.
• Commercial Leasing – Handles significant leasing work for office, industrial, hospitality, and retail clients, including structuring and negotiating long-term agreements to accommodate ever-changing market conditions post-COVID.
• Condominium Development – Represented local and regional banks in connection with $20+ million luxury condominium projects, managing documentation and financing over several years until successful completion.
• Title Insurance – Written more than half a billion dollars total in owner’s and lender’s title insurance policies, ensuring clients’ transactions are properly.

Bar Admissions:

• Florida, 2012

Education 

• Stetson University, J.D., cum laude, 2012
• Florida State University, B.S., magna cum laude, 2008

Awards & Recognition:

• The Best Lawyers in America® “Ones to Watch” – Corporate Law and Real Estate Law, 2023 – Present
• William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award Recipient
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2018 – 2021

Community & Professional Organizations

• St. Petersburg Bar Association
  • Member, 2013 – Present

When He’s Not Working Hard for Clients 

Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and staying active in the Tampa Bay community. A St. Petersburg native and dedicated sports fan, he can often be found cheering (and sometimes complaining) at the TV during Buccaneers, Lightning, Rays and Florida State Seminoles games. Chris and his family are active members of their local church, and he also enjoys exercise, cooking, travel, and film.

Chris remains passionate about the issues of due process and integrity in the justice system, shaped by his early work as an investigator with the 2nd Circuit Public Defender’s Office and his work with the Innocence Project in law school, and he believes strongly in civility and civic responsibility as cornerstones of a healthy community.