John L. Laster

John Laster is a lawyer licensed to practice in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. He limits his practice to wealth transfer planning, trusts, wills, powers of attorney, healthcare decision issues, estate administration, estate taxes, elder law, and disability concerns.

An AV® PreeminentTM Peer Review RatedSM attorney by Martindale-Hubbell®, John is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Virginia Super Lawyers.

He is an adjunct professor in Aging and the Law at Georgetown University Law School. He is also a frequent speaker for both lay and professional groups. A member of the D.C. Estate Planning Council, John has lectured for many institutions, government agencies, civic organizations, and professional associations. He annually teaches lawyers about planning for incapacity at a D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education program. In addition, he has served as chair of the Committee on Special Needs Trusts and Long Term Care of the American Bar Association Section on Real Property, Trust and Estate Law. He is a founding member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a charter member of the Academy for Special Needs Planning.

For more than 25 years, his clients have included seniors with grandchildren, "sandwich generation" caregivers, young parents with newborns, couples whose adult child has significant disabilities, individuals in non-traditional relationships, and single people. Some of his clients possess great material wealth; others do not. Some are motivated to preserve assets in a challenging wealth transfer tax environment. Others are primarily concerned with safeguarding the well-being of their dependents. Still others focus their energy on improving life on this planet through charitable means. All of his clients are united in having chosen to improve the future for someone other than themselves.

He participated in the 1994 Fordham University invitational conference to clarify ethical issues that arise in connection with representing seniors and the 2001 Stetson University invitational Wingspan conference to revisit issues of guardianship reform.

John serves on the board of directors of Community Living Alternatives, Inc., a Northern Virginia organization that serves the needs of persons with disabilities.

John graduated from Oberlin College and Catholic University. He is married to Barbara Laster, a reading professor. Together, they live in Northern Virginia with assorted family members—some who live there and some who just come to visit!