University of South Dakota School of Law, Vermillion, South Dakota Augustana College, With Honors

• Second Judicial Circuit Bar Association, 1990 - 1991 President 
• State Bar of South Dakota 
• American Board of Trial Advocates 
• South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association, 1996 - 1997 President 
• South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association, 1994 - 2001 Board of Governors
• National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (Charter Member in South Dakota)

Lon Kouri is a partner at May & Johnson, PC, where he has practiced for over 35 years.  He is trained as a mediator and has been certified by the American Academy of ADR attorneys as a mediator and arbitrator.  He has mediated over 2,800 civil disputes and regularly mediates nearly 250 disputes per year.  He has successfully mediated a wide variety of civil claims, including class action lawsuits, wrongful death actions, catastrophic injury actions, medical malpractice and professional negligence claims, complex multiparty construction claims, commercial and business disputes, including shareholder claims and first party insurance bad faith claims. As part of his neutral practice, Lon also has arbitrated numerous civil claims in various areas including personal injury, medical malpractice, labor contracts and construction disputes. 

In his mediation practice, Mr. Kouri relies on his significant experience in civil litigation.  Prior to focusing on mediation, his practice was devoted to civil litigation, with an emphasis on insurance defense, insurance litigation, and professional liability defense.  His clients included several major insurance companies. Lon is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.  He is the past President of the South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association and was honored to serve as the South Dakota Representative to the DRI.

Lon has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in mediation and in 2017 was named the Lawyer of the Year for Mediation in South Dakota by U.S. News & World Report.  He has also been named a Great Plains Super Lawyer, as well as a Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation.  Mr. Kouri is the Charter South Dakota Member in the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.  He is the past Chairman of the South Dakota Bar Association Committee on ADR. 

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