Our Team
Crystal G. Lovett, Attorney at Law
Mrs. Lovett (Simler) is the Owner and Sole Member of Lovett Law LLC. She practiced law in St. Louis for Husch Blackwell LLP for five years before heading to Jefferson City to work for the Department of Natural Resources as Legislative Liaison and Assistant General Counsel. At Husch, Mrs. Lovett focused on environmental litigation and white collar criminal defense. She also prosecuted cases for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, DC, and the Commonwealth of Virginia in Staunton, Virginia.
In 2003, Mrs. Lovett graduated with a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, one of the top ten law schools in the U.S. Mrs. Lovett also holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Illinois.
In 2008, Mrs. Lovett was named an Up and Coming Lawyer by Missouri Lawyer's Weekly.
Mrs. Lovett's civic activities include Board Member, Hospice of Northeast Missouri; Board Member, High Hope Employment Services, Inc.; Board Member, Adair County Humane Society; Kirksville Leadership Institute 2015; Past President, Milan Rotary Club; Past President, 9th Circuit Bar Association; Past President, Adair County Bar Association; Member, Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce; Member, Green City Chamber of Commerce; Member, American Bar Association; Member, Missouri Bar; Past Board Member, National Alliance on Mental Illness-Missouri; Past Vice President and Past Board Member, Take Root Cafe.
Janet S. Sayre, Legal Assistant
Mrs. Sayre is a life-long resident of Milan, Sullivan County, Missouri. She graduated from Milan High School in 1966. Mrs. Sayre began working for N. William (“Bill”) Phillips in December 1975 and his law partner, James G. Spencer. Mr. Phillips served many years as City Attorney for Milan and Unionville; he also served terms as Prosecuting Attorney for Sullivan County and Putnam County. Mr. Spencer served as Prosecuting Attorney for Sullivan County and was later elected as Associate Circuit Judge for Sullivan County. She then worked eight years with Bill’s law partner, Tracey Mason-White, who is the current Associate Circuit Judge for Sullivan County. Mrs. Sayre continued working for Bill Phillips until his retirement in December 2013.
Mrs. Sayre has 43 years of experience as a legal secretary in all aspects of work including family law, civil matters, collection and foreclosures, prosecuting attorney documentation, probate and estate planning and criminal defense. She specialized over the last 20 years in real estate sales, issuance of title insurance and real estate closings. In her career Mrs. Sayre has obtained many hours of continuing education in these fields.
Cheryl K. Leffler, Office Manager and Legal Assistant
Laurie A. McDonald, Administrative Assistant
Mrs. McDonald has been a resident of Milan, Missouri, her entire adult life. She began her career as a Certified Nursing Assistant/Medication Aide in 1987 at Leewood Manor Nursing home. In 1989, she was promoted to the position of assistant to the administrator and medical records clerk where she performed several administrative duties. She also assisted in the business office as needed.
In 1994, she received an opportunity for advancement and accepted a position in Kirksville, Missouri, as a Medical Records Technician/Administrative Support Staff with Physician’s Home Health and Hospice/HealthCor Management.
In 1998, she began work for North East Regional Medical Center as a unit secretary on the medical surgery floor before changing career paths and beginning work at Kraft Foods in Kirksville, Missouri. At Kraft, she began as an operations technician and was promoted several times and concluded her career there in management as a Team Leader of the C-Team Bacon Unit.