Laura E. Kastner

Laura Kastner, born in Bethesda, Maryland, grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She graduated from North Carolina State University with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Apparel and Textile Marketing Management. During her time at N.C. State, she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and a member of Sigma Tau Sigma Textiles Honor Society. She graduated from the university with honors and spent six semesters on the Dean’s List.

Ms. Kastner went on to attend The University of North Carolina School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctor degree in 2015. In law school, she was a member of the Client Counseling Moot Court team and sat on the Executive Board for the Holderness Moot Court. She served as co-chair for the Craven Moot Court Competition. In her third year at UNC School of Law, Ms. Kastner was honored with an induction to the Order of the Barristers. While in law school, Ms. Kastner had numerous clerkships, which enabled her to better comprehend court processes. She clerked for the Honorable G. Wayne Abernathy, N.C. Superior Court Justice in District 15B, Orange and Chatham Counties, NC. In 2014, she clerked for the Honorable Christine M. Walczyk and Honorable Anna E. Worley in Wake County, where she gained experience in family law. Later that year, she clerked for the Honorable Robert N. Hunter of the North Carolina Supreme Court, where she experienced appeals work and brief writing.

When she is away from the office, Ms. Kastner spends time with loved ones, including her black lab, Scout. She enjoys exercising, traveling, and volunteering. Ms. Kastner is a dedicated advocate for children and a Guardian ad Litem for Orange and Chatham Counties. Laura Kastner joined Bagwell Holt Smith P.A. as a family law attorney in July of 2015, after having previously clerked for attorney John Miskey at the firm. She chose to focus on family law because she wanted to make a difference with clients who are in the throes of a crisis. While clients are sometimes unrealistic about the realities of the legal system, Ms. Kastner feels “a huge part of being a good attorney is managing client expectations and helping prepare them for the best and worst case scenarios.” She also finds, “making one person’s life better is extremely rewarding and makes a challenging job worth it.”