Michelle Lounsbery

Michelle Lounsbery is Senior Counsel with Goosmann Law Firm in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her services include Business, Trusts & Estates, Asset Protection, Business Succession Planning, Charitable Planning, Estate Planning, Income & Retirement Planning, Probate & Trust Administration, and related South Dakota planning matters. Michelle focuses on business transactions and the design of succession and estate planning strategies, bringing firsthand experience as a former business owner to legal issues involving operations, continuity, risk, and family protection.

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice with a Minor in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota in 2000. She received a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Dakota in 2003 and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2004. Her combined legal and business education supports her work on entity formation, contracts, compliance, succession, estate planning, and other matters where legal structures must fit practical business needs.

Michelle has owned and operated multiple retail businesses employing more than 60 people, with responsibility for entity formation, contract negotiation, employment matters, regulatory compliance, and long-term planning. She has also served as in-house counsel and legal adviser to executive teams, negotiating commercial agreements and advising on risk management, compliance, and corporate strategy. In academia, she served as a Program Director and Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business, teaching and developing curriculum in legal and business subjects.

Michelle’s practice is shaped by direct experience with the pressures of business ownership and the need to plan for unexpected events. She helps owners create structures intended to support operational continuity, protect families, and organize business succession and estate plans before a crisis occurs. Michelle Lounsbery brings legal, business, teaching, and ownership experience to clients who need clear, practical guidance on transactions, asset protection, estate administration, and long-term planning for both companies and the people behind them.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Goosmann Law
• Member, State Bar of South Dakota
• Board Member, Dress for Success (2013 – 2015)
• Advisory Board Member, Southeast Technical Institute (2012-2018)
• Board Member, Bethany Christian Services (2017-2021)
• Coach, Softball and Big Sioux Volleyball (2020-2025)
• YWCA Mentor for Protégé Program, YWCA (2013-2018)
• NAWIC Member, NAWIC (2012-2016)
• Member, Associated General Contractors (2013-2018)
• CFMA Member, CFMA (2013 – 2017)
• SCORE Volunteer, SCORE (2013-2015)
• Softball Coach – 4th Grade – Summer, Softball (4th Grade) (2019)
• Basketball Coach – 3rd Grade – Fall, Basketball (3rd Grade) (2019)

Licensed State

• South Dakota

Education

• University of South Dakota School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of South Dakota
  Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• University of South Dakota
  Bachelor of Science (BS) in Criminal Justice

Awards & Badges