HENRY P. ELSTER

Henry Elster is a native of Saint Louis County, Missouri. He graduated from DeSmet High School, Saint Louis University and Saint Louis University Law School. Before forming The Elster Law Office, LLC in 2010, Mr. Elster worked in a number of different legal positions. He worked in a small firm civil litigation setting with two (2) solo practitioners in Saint Louis City and was charged with preparing cases for trial. Thereafter, he worked for an international corporation’s in-house legal department in Saint Louis City, exposing him to a broad range of cases and issues ranging from corporate governance and due diligence, tax disputes, employment discrimination, federal administrative law, contract disputes, and class actions. Next, Mr. Elster worked for a small criminal defense firm in Saint Louis County where his primary tasks centered on researching and briefing the constitutional issues present in a death penalty prosecution — specifically, the parameters of the 4th Amendment as applied to DNA evidence in a criminal proceeding. After that, he worked in Washington D.C. as a Congressional law clerk and then for the Missouri Attorney General’s office in its litigation department.

Since 2010, Mr. Elster has been in private practice in Saint Louis County and surrounding counties. He has a wealth of experience in dealing with issues ranging from “simple” guidance and advising of individuals and businesses, to non-judicial planning and dispute resolution,  to complex multi-million dollar and multi-party litigation, to lengthy trials, to appeals. He has experience in many different legal fields, including probate litigation, trust, will & estate litigation, business planning and litigation, contract law, family law, real estate law, estate planning, and general legal counseling. He has represented many different types of clients: corporations, limited liability companies, sole proprietorships, partnerships, non-profits, small businesses, business start-ups, families, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, nurses, and other individuals and professionals from all walks of life. At the trial level, he has successfully litigated jury trials and judge-tried cases. At the appellate level, he has prevailed in the Missouri Court of Appeals and the Missouri Supreme Court. Examples of cited cases, or cases handled on appeal, include:

Viceroy Government Relations v. Beal, 673 S.W.3d 168 (Mo. Ct. App. 2023) (Memorandum), Estate of Buder, 658 S.W.3d 168 (Mo. Ct. App. 2022), Schlafly v. Cori, 647 S.W.3d 570 (Mo. 2022), Estate of Andress, 624 S.W.3d 894 (Mo. Ct. App. 2021), In re Shawver, 4:20-CV-00820-SEP (E.D. Mo. 2021), Epice Corp. v. LRA, 608 S.W.3d 725 (Mo. Ct. App. 2020), Eagle Forum v. Phyllis Schlafly's American Eagles, 451 F. Supp. 3d 910 (S.D. Ill. 2020), Woodling v. Polk, 473 S.W.3d 233 (Mo. Ct. App. 2015)

Mr. Elster has taught undergraduate and graduate class relating to international business & corporate law, business ethics, and legal ethics. He has served as a guest speaker for courses at Washington University and St. Louis University. He has served as a guest lecturer on legal liability pitfalls in the media and marketing. He has served as an editor and co-author of Missouri Bar Deskbook and practitioner guides pertaining to intentional misrepresentation (fraud), negligent misrepresentation, the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, Abuse of Process, Malicious Prosecution and False Arrest/Imprisonment. He has appeared on television, radio, and print media to provide legal commentary and analysis and has presented and lectured at numerous continuing legal education seminars.

Finally, he has testified in front of the Judicial Committee for the Missouri House of Representatives regarding proposed statutory changes, drafted and reviewed proposed legislation, and assisted Missouri Bar committees aimed at revising existing laws.