Law Office -- Attorneys in Watertown, South Dakota

Austin Law is a partnership of lawyers engaged in the general practice of law in Watertown, South Dakota. The law office was established in 1926 by Perry F. Loucks and it has operated as a law firm continuously since. Attorney Alan L. Austin joined Mr. Loucks in the fall of 1931. They practiced law together until 1942 when Mr. Loucks died. Attorney Alan Austin was General Counsel and Secretary for the Midland National Life Insurance Company for many years. He became counsel to the law firm in 1980. Alan Austin died on April 25, 2005.

In 1944, Attorney Harold O. Lovre came to Watertown from Hayti and joined Mr. Austin in a law office called Austin & Lovre. Mr. Lovre was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1948 and retired from the firm.

In the fall of 1948, attorney Irving A. Hinderaker joined the law firm. Mr. Hinderaker graduated from Augustana College and the University of South Dakota School of Law. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Attorney William A. Hackett joined the Austin & Hinderaker law firm in 1954. Until his death in 1985, Bill Hackett practiced in the legal areas of casualty litigation, family and criminal law. He was a member of numerous professional societies and was one of the best known trial lawyers in the State of South Dakota.

In 1962, attorney J. Douglas Austin returned to Watertown after service in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Army. He is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and University of South Dakota School of Law. Doug has a general practice emphasizing business and estate planning, probate and personal injury law. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Attorney Paul I. Hinderaker joined the law firm in 1973, a graduate of Augustana College and the University of Minnesota Law School. His legal practice emphasized commercial law, estate planning, and estate administration.  Attorney Paul I. Hinderaker has retired from the practice of law.

In 1981, attorney Arthur M. Hopper came to the law firm.  A Watertown native, Monte graduated from the University of South Dakota, with honors, and the University of Iowa College of Law, with high distinction. His legal practice primarily involved general negligence trials, employment, commercial and banking litigation and school law. Monte retired from the law firm and practice of law in 2020.

Attorney David R. Strait, a Castlewood, South Dakota, native, joined the law firm in 1987 following a position as Law Clerk for the Third Judicial Circuit Court of South Dakota. He is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and University of South Dakota School of Law. His legal practice emphasizes domestic law, business/corporations and estate planning.

Attorney Kate M. Benson joined the law office in 2002. Kate was born in Yankton, SD.  She is a graduate of University of Southern Indiana and the University of South Dakota School of Law. Her law practice emphasizes criminal law and domestic law.

Attorney Amanda M. Thole joined the law firm in 2018.  She is a graduate of Augustana College and the University of South Dakota School of Law.  Her practice focuses primarily on family law and criminal law.

Attorney Mitchell L. Koehn was born and raised in Watertown, SD.  He graduated from the University of South Dakota with a B.B.A (Bachelor of Business Administration) summa cum laude and a minor in Spanish.  He graduated from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2020.

Our law office is located in our own office building at 25 1st Avenue Southwest in Watertown, South Dakota. We are proud of our modern office facilities which feature state of the art technology and office equipment. The lawyers are assisted by trained paralegals and experienced legal secretaries. The staff works together to ensure the prompt economical delivery of legal services to our clients.

We maintain an up-to-date law library and online research services to provide the firm with access to the latest legal developments. We are committed to the continuing education of all members of our legal service team. Lawyers and support staff attend many continuing education courses of the State Bar of South Dakota, South Dakota Paralegals Association, National Association of Legal Secretaries and other national education groups.

We subscribe to the highest standards of legal ethics. Your relationship with your lawyer requires complete confidence and trust. We keep our clients informed of the progress of their cases on a regular basis.

In addition to our law practice, we expect our law firm members, attorneys, and employees to participate in civic and regional affairs. Our law firm has a long history of activity in education, youth groups, hospitals and churches on the local and regional level. Our law office believes this reflects our commitment to Watertown’s quality of life and our determination to be leaders in civic affairs and matters of public concern.