The attorney, Dean Blackaby, has handled workers’ compensation cases for more than 25 years. Mr. Blackaby spent more than eight of those years working as a staff attorney at the state’s biggest work comp insurer, Montana State Fund. This background gives him valuable insight into how work comp insurers handle claims.

Mr. Blackaby is a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers honors attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their field of workers’ compensation. These individuals have demonstrated to their peers, the bar, the bench, and the public that they possess the highest professional qualifications and ethical standards, character, integrity, professional expertise, and leadership.

Mr. Blackaby, as of 2023, is one of only five attorneys in Montana earning this distinction.

Kristie Wolter has over 25 years of experience in Workers Compensation with a background in claims, marketing, management, and mediation. Kristie was a full-time mediator, both private and public, from 2009 through 2023. In her 14 years as a workers’ Compensation mediator for the State of Montana, she worked closely with adversarial parties toward settlement of claims and she continues to work with other mediators, providing them with guidance and feedback. Through her work as a mediator, she learned key competency skills in negotiation as well as communication and she served as a neutral party throughout her tenure and continues to be a resource for Montana’s workers’ compensation professionals. She has worked with unrepresented as well as represented plaintiffs to resolve claims in a fair and equitable manner and has worked closely with both parties in settlement negotiations. Her expertise and knowledge of workers’ compensation statute and law are highly respected.

Kristie’s training includes mediation training with the Montana Mediators Association as well as national training on settlement negotiations and approaching difficult discussions. She has a BA in Business Marketing with a Minor in Business Administration through Montana State University, Billings. She also holds an Associate in Claims and a Claims Examiner Certificate and is pursuing her Certified Property and Casualty Underwriting Certification and will be pursuing her MBA. She is a member of the Montana Mediators Association and was a founding member of Kids Chance of Montana, a non-profit organization which provides scholarships to children of seriously injured workers as well as those who suffered fatalities. She organized the Governors’ Conference on Workers’ Compensation from 2011 through 2021 and developed multiple awards programs during her tenure as the Chairperson. Kristie also currently works as a medical malpractice claims consultant and works with plaintiff’s counsel on timely and appropriate resolution of malpractice claims. Her skills as a negotiator and her history as a mediator has given her the ability to view adversarial opinions openly, resulting in a 100% resolution rate of her mediated claims.

Jennifer Hepfner began her career in workers’ compensation in 2004 as a paralegal for a law firm that represented injured workers. She then moved to adjusting workers’ compensation claims for insurance companies and third-party administrators for the next 10 years.

Jennifer then served as a workers’ compensation mediator for the State of Montana for six years. As a mediator, she worked with parties to resolve disputes in a reasonable and equitable manner on a daily basis. While serving the residents of Montana as a mediator, Jennifer honed her skills in negotiating and communicating in stressful and adversarial situations. She has experience working with attorneys, claims adjusters, and unrepresented injured workers. Jennifer also currently works for a company handling medical malpractice claims. She works closely with plaintiff attorneys and defense attorneys to find timely and reasonable resolution of medical malpractice claims.

Jennifer has participated in training with Mediation Works in addition to training through theIAIABC. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Legal Studies and has a Claims Examiner Certificate from the State of Montana. She is pursuing her Certified Property and Casualty Underwriting Certification as well as an Associate in Claims certification. Jennifer’s unique work experience includes extensive experience in adjusting claims and representing claimants as well as years of mediation experience. Her diverse work background uniquely positions her to be an effective, neutral mediator who fully understands both positions of workers compensation claims. Jennifer is well versed in Montana workers’ compensation statutes and current practice in the State. Her broad knowledge and nearly two decades of experience benefits both parties and gives her the ability to find unique, reasonable and equitable solutions.