Professional Staff
Mark White, Esq. AICPS. Mark White is recognized as an expert in zoning and subdivision law, form-based zoning and New Urbanism, land use and takings litigation, housing, development of comprehensive growth management plans, and implementation systems. He has represented clients at every level from city, state and local governments, as well as major private developers, many of whom are involved in environmental permitting proceedings and takings litigation.
Mr. White is a former partner of Freilich, Leitner & Carlisle. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in History and Political Science from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, and holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While in law school, Mr. White was a Research Editor for the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, and worked at the Department of City and Regional Planning as a Research Assistant in the Center of Urban and Regional Studies. He is a former President of the board of directors of the nonprofit community development group Westside Housing Organization, and is a member of the North Carolina and Missouri Bars, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and the American Planning Association.
Mr. White publishes extensively on planning and land use issues. He is the co-author of the American Planning Association's model land development code (A 21st Century Land Development Code), and is a frequent speaker at the national meetings of the American Planning Association, the American Center for National and International Law, the Congress of New Urbanism, the University of Wisconsin, and various other professional organizations.
Download Mr. White's complete resume here.
Download Mr. White's complete resume here.
Tyson Smith, Esq., AICPE. Tyson Smith has a diversity of experience in local government and land use planning law, with particular focus on growth management and land use compatibility. Mr. Smith’s practice, in both the public and private sectors, has involved land use impact assessments and legal defense, impact fees, concurrency management, short-term rentals, military encroachment planning, affordable housing, agricultural preservation, telecommunications planning, transferable development rights, bike and pedestrian planning, and growth management systems.
Mr. Smith also has defended clients in legal claims, including those involving regulatory takings, due process, equal protection, and the limits of statutory authority.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1991), and he holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida.
Before beginning his legal career, Mr. Smith was a planner with the Monroe County Division of Growth Management in the Florida Keys. He later served as the Assistant City Planner for the City of Key West, Florida. In these positions, Mr. Smith gained experience in matters of affordable housing, growth management, residential/commercial land use compatibility, transportation, and concurrency, as well as a number of other local government issues.
Mr. Smith also is a certified civil and family court mediator. To learn more, visit White & Smith Mediation Services.
Ross Appel, Esq.Ross Appel joined the Charleston, South Carolina office of White & Smith in the Spring of 2010. Ross holds a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and is a member of the South Carolina Bar and the Charleston County Bar Association.
While in law school, Ross served as an editor on the Southeastern Environmental Law Journal and was a member of both the Environmental Law Society and the Public Interest Law Society. Prior to joining White & Smith, Ross served as a law clerk to former South Carolina Department of Revenue Commissioner Burnet R. Maybank, III.
Before joining the firm, Ross successfully defended historic Rockville, South Carolina against a challenge to the validity of the town’s dock permit ordinance. During his time at White & Smith, Ross has gained expertise in a number of our practice areas including military overlay zoning, transferable development rights, code drafting, impact fees, transit-oriented development, renewable energy, and development agreements.