John S. Karas was born in 1951 in Havre de Grace, Maryland and grew up in Harford County. Mr. Karas graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences. He then attended the University of Maryland School of Law graduating in 1976.

Following law school. Mr. Karas worked with the law firm of Tanner, Livezey and Cobb, which later became known as Tanner, Livezey and Karas and thereafter Tanner, Livezey, Karas & Bradford. In 1989 Mr. Karas left the firm with his current partner, Charles E. Bradford, Jr. and formed the law offices of Karas & Bradford with an initial office in Aberdeen, Maryland, expanding the practice to his second office in Bel Air. Maryland. Mr. Karas has had a concentration in family law since 1985.

John and his wife, Belinda, reside in Have de Grace and have three children. John is Chairman of the Board of Harford Bank, and a trustee for the Darlington United Methodist Church. He also served 9 years on the Board of Trustees for the John Carroll School, two as Vice-Chair, and 5 as Chair; and was a founding director of the Cal Ripkin Senior Foundation. In addition, John is a member of the Aberdeen Rotary Club, the Harford County Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association.