2021 Up & Coming Attorneys: Jesse Sater

After earning his J.D. at the University of St. Thomas, Sater joined Bowman and Brooke in 2013. Since then, he’s risen quickly to coordinating positions for clients in asbestos and other products liability litigation. He’s defended national and regional vehicle, equipment, and medical device manufacturers.

One of the things Sater likes best about working as an attorney is having the chance to put his clients at ease. “There’s nothing better than reducing or eliminating my clients’ stress or worry,” he said.

Sater amassed significant expertise in products liability along the way, and his youth has been an advantage at least once: a 2018 trial that involved a school bus fire. His mentor David Lutz, then a Bowman and Brooke partner and now Dakota County judge, allowed Sater to cross-examine fact witnesses and handle all legal issues, including jury instructions and numerous motions. “Opposing counsel was a named partner at his firm, and I think he thought because of my youth that he’d just fly though this,” Sater says.

He didn’t. Sater impeached one of the key fact witnesses, and obtained a defense verdict. “The client was very happy in the end,” Sater says.

In addition to his legal work, Sater is a music lover. “If I didn’t love lawyering so much, I would pursue a career in music production,” he says. “From a very young age, I watched my father, who was a musician, perform on stage, but I’ve always loved the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making music. Music is the creative yin to my analytical lawyering yang.”

Sater also doesn’t forget those he works with. “I’m a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats person,” he says. “I like to team up with my clients and colleagues, and win with that team.”

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