Episode: Live Podcast - The Velvet Hammers’ Journey through Bias, Marginalization, and Systemic Inequities

Recorded Live on December 2, 2025
1 Ethics Equity Credit - Please visit stritmatter.com/cle for Activity ID.

Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi bring their Velvet Hammer Podcast style to an important CLE. This program examines how bias, marginalization, and systemic inequities affect trial lawyers who are BIPOC in Washington State courts. Drawing on first-hand accounts, qualitative data, and professional experiences, Karen and Mo will explore how their lived experiences reflect broader structural and cultural barriers in legal communities and systems.

From courtroom dynamics to professional advancement, adversarial interactions to peer relationships, this seminar will illustrate how both explicit and implicit biases can shape reputations, work environment and outcomes. Highlighting RPC 8.4(g) (related to professional misconduct) and a lawyer’s ethical duty to promote fairness and integrity in the justice system.

🎧 Stay Connected with The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast

Hosted by Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi, trial lawyers at Stritmatter Law, a nationally recognized plaintiff personal injury and civil rights law firm based in Washington State.

Produced by Mike Todd, Audio & Video Engineer, and Kassie Slugić, Executive Producer.

Watch full episodes on YouTube
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook
📬 Questions or topic ideas? Email us at thevelvethammerpodcast@stritmatter.com

🔥 New episodes every Wednesday
Subscribe for bold takes, heartfelt moments, and the unfiltered reality of what it means to live and lead as a trial lawyer at Stritmatter Law.

Episode 44: The Privilege of Sacrifice as a Trial Lawyer

In this episode of The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast, the group sits down with a simple question: Does being great at your work always require sacrifice?

Karen Koehler opens up about a career shaped by long hours, missed moments, and the constant pressure of leading high-stakes cases. She also names what often goes unsaid: the privilege of choosing sacrifice when so many workers never get that choice. Mo Hamoudi shares how sacrifice shaped him long before he ever stepped into a courtroom, and why he still wakes up before dawn to touch every case.

Together, they dig into burnout, identity, pace, and what happens when your drive becomes part of your wiring. They also admit a truth most people whisper about; at best, some lawyers can only function around others who work the same way.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and tell us your take. What sacrifice feels worth it to you, and which one will you never give up?

🎧 Stay Connected with The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast

Hosted by Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi, trial lawyers at Stritmatter Law, a nationally recognized plaintiff personal injury and civil rights law firm based in Washington State.

Produced by Mike Todd, Audio & Video Engineer, and Kassie Slugić, Executive Producer.

Watch full episodes on YouTube
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook
📬 Questions or topic ideas? Email us at thevelvethammerpodcast@stritmatter.com

🔥 New episodes every Wednesday
Subscribe for bold takes, heartfelt moments, and the unfiltered reality of what it means to live and lead as a trial lawyer at Stritmatter Law.

Episode 42: Mansplaining, Mo-Splaining, and the Space Between Talking and Listening

A heated phone call about “mansplaining” turns into a sharp, funny, and honest look at listening, ego, and the thin line between protecting and dominating.

Karen calls Mo out. Mo defends himself. Mike plays referee. Together they retrace the argument, name the habit (hello, “Mo-splaining”), and unpack why good intentions can still sound like lectures when you fill every silence with solutions. Sometimes the smartest move isn’t to fix—it’s to listen.

🎧 Stay Connected with The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast

Hosted by Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi, trial lawyers at Stritmatter Law, a nationally recognized plaintiff personal injury and civil rights law firm based in Washington State.

Produced by Mike Todd, Audio & Video Engineer, and Kassie Slugić, Executive Producer.

Watch full episodes on YouTube
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook
📬 Questions or topic ideas? Email us at thevelvethammerpodcast@stritmatter.com

🔥 New episodes every Wednesday
Subscribe for bold takes, heartfelt moments, and the unfiltered reality of what it means to live and lead as a trial lawyer at Stritmatter Law.