Skip to main content

Meet Our Lawyers

Jerry Sisk

Jerry Sisk
Licensed For:
17
Years

Jerry Sisk, President/Owner of Mottaz & Sisk Injury Law, is an accomplished Minnesota workers’ compensation attorney who dedicates his practice to helping injured workers and improving the workers’ compensation system. He grew up in Plymouth, MN. After attending Wayzata High School, he went on to Michigan State University before graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School. Following law school, he worked at Heacox, Hartman, et al. representing insurance companies. After several years, he transitioned to helping injured workers.

Jerry is recognized by Super Lawyers magazine as a Super Lawyer and Rising Star. He is AV rated through Martindale Hubbell, and on the Executive Committee for the Minnesota State Bar Association and Minnesota Association of Justice. Jerry is also the former President for the Anoka County Bar Association. 

Currently, Jerry is Chair of the Workers’ Compensation section of the Minnesota Association of Justice. He also serves as a Mediator/Arbitrator for the Minnesota Union Construction Workers’ Compensation Program. He is the Attorney Fee Arbitrator for Anoka County. 

Jerry is Junior Editor of the Minnesota CLE Workers’ Compensation Deskbook and co-author of Chapter 16, Medicare, and also the author of the Injured Workers’ Guide to Minnesota Workers’ Compensation sold on Amazon.com. He is co-host of the Podcast, “MN Work Comp Connection”, and a contributor to the Minnesota Association of Justice Trial magazine. He has given numerous presentations throughout the State of Minnesota and nationally on various workers’ compensation topics.

Jerry, his wife, three kids, and chocolate lab reside in Blaine, Minnesota. When not practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his kids’ activities.

David Kempston

Licensed For:
26
Years

David Kempston has spent over 30 years as a litigator—primarily handling workers compensation claims. He has been voted a Super Lawyer every year since 2000. He frequently lectures on the MN Worker’s Compensation Statute. In 2017 he was awarded Anoka County Lawyer of the Year by the Anoka County Bar Association.  In 2020, David was inducted as a Fellow in The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, a national entity established to honor those attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the practice of workers’ compensation. He has written two books, published through Amazon, That’s Why They Call it Practicing Law (2017) and Lessons Learned on the Run (2020). And since 2021, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at The University of St. Thomas School of Law. When not practicing law, David enjoys running, fishing, walking his dog, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Cheri Sisk

Licensed For:
17
Years

Cheri helps her clients navigate workers’ compensation, employment law and personal injury claims. She listens to what is important to her clients and leads them to the most successful outcome for their situation.

Cheri has more than 16 years of litigation experience and representing clients in state and federal court. She is a go-to for other attorneys seeking advice on case strategy and common-sense problem solving.
Cheri prides herself on putting her clients at ease throughout the legal process and empowering them to take the next best step to move their lives forward.

Cheri enjoys learning about leadership, cheering-on her three kiddos, and supporting her talented husband, Jerry. And, she often finds herself trying to keep her floppy chocolate lab out of trouble.

Contact Cheri today to schedule a time to discuss how she can help you with your case.

Jim Batchelor

Licensed For:
20
Years

As an undergraduate student, James A. Batchelor attended the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse where he earned a B.S. degree with honors in two majors, English and History. During college, James captained the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse cross-country and track teams and was named an NCAA All-American five times. During his senior year he won the Wisconsin State University Conference Scholar/Athlete of the Year Award. University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse also awarded Jim with the Jay Norris Memorial Scholarship given to the top student in the English department. He then attended the University of Minnesota School of Law from which he graduated in 1991. He was subsequently admitted to practice in both the United States Federal Court and the Minnesota State District Courts.

In his spare time, James enjoys traveling, spending time with his family and his friends. Jim is also an avid runner and biker.

James A. Batchelor focuses his practice on representing clients with all varieties of personal injuries including but not limited to: work injuries, motor vehicle collisions, dog attack injuries and construction accidents. Additionally, he represents disabled individuals in connection with claims for social security benefits and short- and long-term disability benefits.

James A. Batchelor has extensive litigation experience in the Minnesota State District Courts and also in Administrative Law Courts in front of Social Security judges and Worker’s Compensation Administrative Law judges. Jim’s experience includes appearing on numerous occasions in front of the Worker’s Compensation Court of Appeals and also participating in multiple cases in front of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Maxwell Riebel

With a background in insurance and sales, Mr. Riebel combines his experience with his passion for advocating for his clients. Max worked in the insurance industry before going to law school and uses that experience to help better serve his clients by getting to the root of issues and helping resolve them before they become a bigger problem.

Max is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas School of Law where he made the Dean’s list, was an editor of a Law Journal, and received the Dean’s Scholarship. While in law school, Max worked for multiple Minneapolis firms getting experience in diverse practice areas including personal injury litigation, business litigation, and transactional work. Max also has experience as an extern for in-house counsel in the private sector, an extern for a judge in Family Court in Hennepin County and as a law clerk in the 4th Judicial District. This wide range of legal experience allows him to effectively communicate issues with his clients and gives him broad perspectives to base meaningful decisions. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors whether it is hunting or fishing with friends and family , spending time golfing, or at the lake in the summer.

Thomas Mottaz

Thomas Mottaz Work Comp Lawyer
Licensed For:
37
Years

Mr. Mottaz has been representing injured workers since 1981. His experience includes numerous cases within the Workers’ Compensation system to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Mr. Mottaz has earned a reputation for being a strong advocate for the rights of injured workers. He is a recognized authority in workers’ compensation law and has written and lectured extensively on the topic. He is a co-editor of the Workers’ Compensation Deskbook, a recognized treatise on Minnesota workers’ compensation law. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America (Naifen & Smith), Who’s Who in American Law (Marqueis) and Law and Leading Attorneys (American Research Corporation) and has been designated “Super Lawyer” by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics. He has an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating.

Raymond Peterson

Licensed For:
40
Years

Mr. Peterson has been in practice since 1980, limiting his practice to the representation of injured workers.  Having tried over 1,000 cases in the Minnesota Workers Compensation Court, he is recognized as one of the most experienced trial attorneys in the state.  In addition to representing clients at the trial level, Mr. Peterson has also appeared frequently at the Workers Compensation Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Supreme Court advocating for injured workers. Over the years, he has lectured to other judges and attorneys extensively on Workers Compensation issues at a variety of Continuing Legal Education seminars and has been an adjunct professor teaching Workers Compensation for over 10 years at William Mitchell College of Law, St. Thomas Law School and Hamline University Law School. He has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is also listed in Best Lawyers in America, and has the distinction of being designated as a “Super Lawyer” by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics each year since the inception of the program.

Our Staff

Our Firm

Our support staff is well trained and highly experienced. Our legal assistants, legal secretaries and administrative staff have years of knowledge and experience in helping injured workers. Because we limit our practice to representing injured workers, we provide professional, competent and efficient services. Our firm seeks to provide excellent customer service. We emphasize maintaining open and ongoing communication with our clients. We strive to satisfy our client’s needs and objectives. While our clients focus on recovering- we focus on securing the benefits they deserve.

Awards and Accomplishments

Thomas Mottaz & David Kempston Minnesota Monthly "2011-2022 Best Lawyers"
Jerry Sisk, Minnesota Monthly Lawyer of the Year - 2021 Thomas D. Mottaz The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers – Class of 2011
David Kempston, The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers – Class of 2020 Thomas Mottaz 2013 Minnesota Association of Justice Member of the Year
Thomas Mottaz, Jerry Sisk, David Kempston and Ray Peterson Minnesota Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Thomas Mottaz, Jerry Sisk, Ray Peterson and David Kempston Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated
Co-editor, Thomas D. Mottaz. and Junior Editor, Jerry Sisk & Contributer, David Kempston Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Deskbook