Our Staff

John Laster, principal of the Laster Law Firm, has been an attorney for twenty-five years, specializing in real estate for fifteen. He is a 1994 graduate of the UGA School of Law, and a 1991 honors graduate of the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky. In addition to years of practice experience, John draws on expertise gained from several years as an writer and editor for The Harrison Company, the leading publisher of Georgia law and commentaries for over a century.

John is married to Kasee Laster, and the pair reside in Oconee County with their two daughters, Georgia, 18, and Julia, 13, along with two cats and a dog. John is heavily involved with the Athens Area Association of Realtors and other industry bodies. In 2015, he was also highly honored to receive a Centurion award from the Order of the Arrow, a division of the Boy Scouts of America. This one-time award was given to only 1500 Scouters nationwide, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Order.

John enjoys helping people achieve their dreams of home ownership and supports many efforts to build the spirit of community in the firm’s service areas.

Melina holds a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Justice Studies from Georgia Southern and is currently working on her J.D. at the University of Georgia School of Law. Melina and her boyfriend have two dogs and a cat, along with a hoard of fish and a turtle. Melina is an avid traveler who has been to 38 states in the U.S., in addition to nine countries. When she’s not in class or at work, Melina likes to go to wine tastings and concerts in downtown Athens.

Melina likes working in a small firm like this one because “over time, it starts to feel like another family.”

Daniel is an Athens native and graduate of Athens Christian. Daniel intends to attend law school after completing a BS in computer science at UGA. He has one sister, Elizabeth, one brother, Ethan, and a cat named “Meow Meow” (whom he named when he was five). Daniel also works every October at the popular local attraction Zombie Farms in Winterville, which his family owns.

Kasee Clifton Laster holds a B.S. in Accounting and English from the University of the Cumberlands and a graduate degree in English from UGA. She and John have two teenage daughters and live in Oconee County. In addition to working at Laster Law Firm, Kasee teaches English at the University of North Georgia and has done a little bit of everything in her career, from typesetting at an old-time print shop to writing grants for non-profits to taking college students on study abroad. When she’s not working, she’s addicted to murder mysteries, both books, and television. 

Kasee says that she’s been a home buyer three times, and remembers how exciting it is to leave the attorney’s office with the keys. Her favorite thing about working here is seeing our clients have that same great feeling.

Lauri holds a degree in business and finance from West Virginia University. She and her husband Jeff have four children and one daughter-in-law, as well as a chocolate lab and a Yorkie. She enjoys boating on Lake Lanier and taking a cruise and beach vacations (“there’s a theme here – water, boats, sand, and sun!”). After working at the same company for twenty-five years, she is starting a second career in two areas, real estate and law, that she enjoys. She has her real estate license and is currently working on a paralegal certificate at UNG. 

She says that real estate and the law have both always intrigued her and that it’s great to put them together and “exciting to learn so many new things on a daily basis at my ripe age.”

Karina will graduate in fall 2019 with a degree in Business Administration from the Terry College at UGA. She says her family comes first, but she also loves dogs, especially a mixed terrier named Miles. Karina likes working – she started out selling candy in her neighborhood at the age of ten and has been working ever since.

She says she particularly enjoys enjoyed pre-closing, post-closing, and disbursement because of the satisfaction of seeing that it all gets done.

Hannah Morley is a rising Junior at UGA pursuing a BA degree with an English major and political science minor. After graduate school, she hopes to pursue a JD at the UGA School Of Law. She has an older brother named Dale who lives in New York, and two dogs at home: an English Bulldog named MacLovin’ (who used to be her high school’s mascot) and a Great Dane named Lexi, as well as a a telescope-eyed goldfish named Bertha. Hannah recently moved to Athens from upstate New York. She’s enjoying the warmer weather, especially as she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee. She went to Germany in 2017 and can’t wait to explore more of Europe in the future.

Hannah says that “working in real estate is so rewarding because you know that you’re playing a huge role in someone’s future. You are actively assisting someone to help them buy their first home or their forever home, and it’s just so satisfying to see the smile on the homeowners face after it’s all over!”

Georgia is an alumnus of North Oconee High School and is currently a freshman at the University of North Georgia studying Education. In addition to working at the Laster Law Firm, she is a substitute teacher at McPhaul Preschool. Outside of the firm, she enjoys music, her cat O’Malley (named for the Aristocats), and teaching children’s theatre classes. Although she loves the arts, the thing she enjoys most about working at the Laster Law Firm is leaving the drama at the door and delivering a peaceful closing to her clients.