Lon J. Kouri

Lon J. Kouri is an attorney with May & Johnson, P.C. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, whose current practice is devoted exclusively to alternative dispute resolution. After many years handling civil litigation, insurance defense, insurance litigation, and professional liability defense, Lon now focuses on mediation and arbitration. He has mediated more than 2,600 civil disputes and handles matters involving wrongful death, catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, construction, employment, commercial disputes, shareholder claims, and insurance bad faith.

Lon attended the University of South Dakota School of Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, and completed his undergraduate education at Augustana College with honors. His legal education, combined with decades of litigation work, provides the foundation for evaluating complex claims from multiple perspectives. That background is especially relevant in mediation and arbitration, where parties often need a neutral who understands trial risk, insurance issues, damages, professional liability, commercial relationships, and the procedural choices available outside a courtroom.

Lon joined May & Johnson in 1980 and previously devoted his practice to civil litigation for major insurance clients. His neutral practice now includes class actions, wrongful death claims, catastrophic injury cases, medical malpractice, professional negligence, complex multiparty construction disputes, employment and discharge claims, commercial and business disputes, shareholder claims, and first-party insurance bad faith. He has also arbitrated nursing home liability, personal injury, wrongful death, labor contract, medical malpractice, and construction matters.

Lon is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and South Dakota’s charter member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. His recognitions include Great Plains Super Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, Best Lawyers in America for mediation, and 2017 Lawyer of the Year for mediation. Lon J. Kouri brings extensive trial and dispute-resolution experience to parties seeking a structured, informed process for resolving significant civil and commercial conflicts.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, May & Johnson, PC
• Member, State Bar of South Dakota
• President, Second Judicial Circuit Bar Association (1990-1991)
• President and Board of Governors, South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association (1996-1997)
• Past Chairman, South Dakota Bar Association Committee on ADR
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• South Dakota Representative, Defense Research Institute (1999-2002)
• Member, International Association of Defense Counsel
• Member, International Academy of Dispute Resolution
• SD Charter Member, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals

Licensed State

• South Dakota

Awards & Badges