January/February 2026 Newsletter

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026

In 2026, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri is celebrating 70 years of advancing justice. That’s 70 years of showing up in courtrooms and communities to provide ACTION. JUSTICE. HOPE.

For seven decades, we have found ways to adapt, persist, and keep justice within reach for those who need it most. We are building on this strong foundation of service, and with your partnership, we can keep doing this vital work for the next 70 years.

We invite you to join us as we celebrate Legal Services

of Eastern Missouri's 70th Anniversary in 2026!

CLICK HERE to learn more about our 70th Anniversary plans.

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

Systemic Advocacy in Action:

The Case of the Unreal Realtor

Systemic advocacy is often time-consuming and can take years to pay off. Such was the case when Florida’s MV Realty created a scheme to fool homeowners into trading a small up-front payment for a sizeable chunk of the future value of their homes. MV Realty tricked hundreds of homeowners in Missouri into 40-year contracts that would force them to pay six percent or more of their home’s value to MV Realty - even when the company performed no realtor work.

Beginning in 2022, the Neighborhood Advocacy, Consumer, and Litigation Programs began gathering information about the MV Realty scheme. The project team engaged with numerous other legal organizations, including Legal Aid of Western Missouri, New Covenant Legal Services, and the National Consumer Law Center, to develop strategies.

To raise public awareness, the team worked with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on a focus piece to outline the issue and impact to consumers. Staff also opened several individual cases for clients that MV Realty had defrauded.

The next year, it became clear that state governments were better positioned than our individual clients to bring legal action against MV Realty. Several states had filed suit against MV Realty by that time; Missouri had not. The work pivoted to aggressively advocating with the Missouri Attorney General Consumer Protection Division to generate action.

In Spring 2024, Missouri sued MV Realty and numerous related individuals and entities. After a year-long detour through a failed bankruptcy, finally, in late 2025, MV Realty and several company leaders entered a consent judgment with the State of Missouri to end the case. The consent agreement required MV Realty to leave Missouri for seven years; clear the home titles of any affected homes; give up any right to repayment for the small promotional payments made to targeted homeowners; and pay restitution.

Overall, Legal Services’ systemic work on this nationwide issue drew media attention, provided critical counsel to affected homeowners, and facilitated state action. Missouri consumers saved more than $2.4 million in homeowner equity and the state recouped over a half million dollars in debt forgiveness and restitution.

Although the path to systemic justice is often long and winding it is usually worth the journey!

EXPANDING PARTNERSHIPS

Trio Foundation of St. Louis Grant Grows

Legal Support for Women Entrepreneurs

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s Community Economic Development – Microenterprise Program has received a $25,000 grant from the Trio Foundation of St. Louis to expand legal services for women-owned small businesses in the St. Louis region. The award represents an increase from the Foundation’s $15,000 grant last year.

The Trio Foundation is a St. Louis–based family foundation that concentrates most of its giving in the City of St. Louis and nearby counties. The foundation’s mission centers on community enhancement, human potential, and ecological well-being through equitable access - particularly racial equity - and opportunity. Its current strategic funding priorities include Women’s Economic Empowerment, Arts, and the Environment.

ABOVE: Microenterprise client Uniti Hicks of Sistas' Pop

With Trio funding, the Microenterprise Program at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri will assist approximately 25 women business owners in disadvantaged communities. The program provides comprehensive legal assistance, including full legal representation, to help clients start or stabilize small businesses, build strong legal foundations, and overcome barriers that limit access to capital and growth opportunities.

“By removing legal barriers, we help our female clients achieve stability, growth, and long-term economic empowerment,” said Marlene Elliott, Managing Attorney of the Microenterprise Program. “We are grateful for this investment, which aligns with the Trio Foundation’s commitment to Women’s Economic Empowerment.”

Microenterprises are a critical pathway to wealth building and economic mobility for women of color and low-income households. By strengthening women-owned startups and small businesses, the Microenterprise Program aims to promote local economic development, job creation, and long-term community stability across the St. Louis region.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Legal Services' Microenterprise program.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

A Message from our Executive Director, Dan Glazier

After much reflection, I’m sharing that I plan to retire as Executive Director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri at the end of 2027, after more than 45 years with this extraordinary organization.

I’m announcing this early to ensure a thoughtful, thorough leadership transition—and I remain fully engaged through the end of my tenure. I'm grateful for this team, this community, and our shared commitment to justice as we continue this important work together.

Read the full announcement HERE

The Young Friends of Legal Services

Welcome New Board Members

At their January 2026 Board Meeting, the Young Friends of Legal Services unanimously elected the following individuals to serve a two-year term on the Executive Committee:

President: Elizabeth S. Lenivy

Liz is an attorney with Simon Law and has been a Young Friends Board member since 2017, previously serving as Vice President. She is an active pro bono participant and also serves on the Board of Governors for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (MATA).

Vice President: Luke Jackson

Luke is a partner at the Weigl Jackson Law Firm and has been a Young Friends Board Member since 2019, previously serving as Secretary. Luke is also an Air Forces Veteran and a small business owner. He has provided pro bono assistance to Legal Services clients across a variety of programs for more than six years.

Secretary: Ebony Sheckles

Ebony is an attorney with Metropolitan Sewer District. She has been a Young Friends Board Member since 2024 and provides pro bono service through Legal Services' Microenterprise program. She received Legal Services' 2023 Hon. John R. Essner Young Lawyer Award in recognition of her volunteer work.

Service Chair: Iulia Tothezan

Iulia is a social worker with the Children's Legal Alliance program at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.

She holds a clinical social work license and has been a member of the Young Friends Board since 2024.

In addition, the following people were elected to join the Young Friends Board:

Hiba Al-Ramahi

Attorney, Polsinelli, PC

George Lankford

Attorney, UB Greensfelder

Brad Tharpe

Attorney, Wells Fargo

Sydney Thomas

Attorney, Husch Blackwell

We sincerely thank outgoing Young Friends President Ryan Turnage for his exemplary leadership as he steps-up his commitment to his roles on the Legal Services' Board of Directors.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Young Friends of Legal Services

In late November, Legal Services staff and interns provided assistance at a special Hamilton Heights ID Clinic in partnership with St. Louis City Neighborhood Intervention Specialists, Ashrei Foundation, People's Community Action Corporation, and the Wellston Loop CDC.

Through this clinic, 43 community members were able to receive free birth certificates, information to obtain a new social security card, and transportation and a check to cover the cost of a new ID.

This is a great example of the community coming together to support those in need, and we were so happy to be a part of it!

LEFT: In January, Executive Director Dan Glazier (second left) & Neighborhood Advocacy Attorney Rachel Waterman (second right) attended the St. Louis REALTORS Housing Assistance Fund Give Back ceremony to receive a donation in support of Neighborhood Advocacy's work assisting those impacted by the 2025 tornado. Also pictured are Bill Wilmering, RHAF Chair (far left), and Steven Shane, RHAF Vice Chair (far right).

RIGHT: In January, several staff members attended the LSC's 2026 Innovations in Technology Conference to learn about new ways technology can help reach and assist clients in need of access to justice

BELOW: In January, the Young Friends of Legal Services hosted a Happy Hour for law students at SLU Law to learn about internship and career opportunities at Legal Services.

Pictured right are Young Friends Board Members: Taylor Burrows (Event Chair); Lauren Bowers (SLU Law Rep.); Colleen Daum (Legal Services' Director of Development) and Liz Lenivy (President).