MEET LORI ZANCOURIDES
─── Zancourides Law, Founder | Mediation + Employment Law
LETTER FROM LORI
Welcome to Zancourides Law. I’m glad you’re here.
When I decided to go to law school, I only knew two things: I wanted to help people, and I wanted to solve problems. I had no idea what kind of law I’d practice. What followed was more than 25 years of legal experience that I could not have predicted or planned, and I’m grateful for all of it.
I’m a pessimist by training and an optimist at heart. This small-town girl came to Central Ohio for college, fell in love with the city and a boy, and never left. After law school at Ohio State, I started my career at the law firm now known as “Squire Patton Boggs” in the employment law group, litigating in federal and state courts across the country. I was good at it. But I realized my real passion wasn’t winning arguments, but helping people avoid having them in the first place.
That’s what drew me in-house, first to Scotts Miracle-Gro and then to The Wendy’s Company, where collectively I spent over 17 years advising on employment matters and managing disputes for these two large global brands. Over those years, I sat on both sides of hundreds of disputes. I watched what made them resolve and, maybe more importantly, what kept them from it. I came to understand that the answer is almost never about who is right. It’s about finding a path forward that works for both sides.
That experience is what led me to mediation. And it’s at the core of everything I do at Zancourides Law.
I hope to have the opportunity to work with you.
Lori Zancourides
Contrary to popular belief, conflicts rarely line up with one party clearly in the right and the other party clearly in the wrong. The key to success in litigation and mediation is understanding your options, your risks, and the perspective of the person across the table.
Lori Zancourides, Founder
─── BACKGROUND
BUILT FOR THIS WORK
Lori began her legal career at the global law firm now known as Squire Patton Boggs, where she focused on labor and employment law counseling and litigation before federal and state courts across the U.S. In 2008, she transitioned to her first in-house role at Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, driven by a desire to get closer to decision-makers and help companies resolve conflicts before they turned into litigation. In 2013, she joined The Wendy’s Company, where she spent over 12 years advising on employment matters and overseeing all litigation and disputes for the company across its global business.
Through those roles, Lori was involved as counsel or party representative in hundreds of disputes, including class and collective actions, harassment and discrimination cases, contract and business disputes, cyber and privacy litigation, noncompete and trade secret matters, and more. That depth of experience shaped a philosophy grounded in honesty, empathy, efficiency, and a genuine commitment to finding common ground.
In 2026, Lori founded Zancourides Law to bring that experience directly to the clients who need it most — as a mediator, employment law advisor, and fractional in-house counsel.
─── BACKGROUND
Credentials
Mediation
Mediating the Litigation Case Certification
Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Fundamentals of Mediation
Ohio Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Training
Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Mediator Panel
Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Mediator Panel
2026 Dispute Resolution Skills Summit
American Bar Association
2026 Dispute Resolution Practice Development Institute
American Bar Association
Philosophy: Why Mediation
Litigation is expensive, unpredictable, and public. It resolves the legal question but rarely in an easy or satisfying way. When used effectively, mediation moves faster, costs less, and gives both sides something a court cannot: the ability to shape the outcome themselves.
After spending years inside organizations managing exactly this calculus, Lori brings a unique perspective most mediators don’t have; she knows what it costs to stay in a fight, and she knows what it takes to end one.
12+ years in-house counsel, including 9 years overseeing all employment and litigation matters for the global brand
The Wendy’s Company
5 years in-house counsel managing employment and litigation
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
5+ years, Labor and Employment Associate
Squire Sanders and Dempsey LLP (now Squire Patton Boggs)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Judicial Extern, Hon. R. Guy Cole, Jr.
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, J.D.
Capital University, B.A., Political Science and English
State of Ohio
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio
Ohio Center for Law-Related Education, volunteer judge, Ohio High School Mock Trial State Tournament
Dublin Food Pantry, Board of Trustees and Governance Committee Chair (2021–2024)
American Bar Association (Dispute Resolution; Labor and Employment)
Ohio State Bar Association (Labor and Employment; Litigation; Small Firm; Women in the Profession)
Ohio Women’s Bar Association
