Episode 17: Lawyer Burnout and How It Can Affect Clients

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on mental and physical health for trial lawyers.

In this episode of The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast, Karen Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Mike Todd have an honest conversation about lawyer burnout, mental health, substance abuse culture in the legal profession, and the dangerous reality of the “just keep going” mentality. Karen reflects on years of pushing through exhaustion while leading a law firm during the pandemic. Mo describes burnout as becoming untethered from yourself, losing meaning, and operating without purpose. Mike explains how burnout disconnects people from the things they once loved and how quickly that spiral can affect judgment, work, and relationships.

🎧 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.

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📬 Questions or topic ideas? Email us at thevelvethammerpodcast@stritmatter.com

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Episode 16: Mental Health and Burnout in Trial Law

This is Part 2 of a three-part series on mental and physical health for trial lawyers.

Trial lawyers are trained to push through. Keep going. Don’t show weakness. So what happens when the pressure starts to build?

In this episode, Karen Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Mike Todd take on something most lawyers avoid discussing: burnout is real, and pretending it isn’t can cost you more than your case.

Mo shares how close he’s come to burning out and why he stopped hiding it, even when it’s been used against him. Karen pushes back on the culture of law itself, calling it egotistical, performative, and disconnected from being human.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us how you manage stress when the pressure doesn’t let 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.

Season 6, Episode 15: The need to take care of yourself in the practice of law

This is Part 1 of a three-part series on mental and physical health for trial lawyers.

Karen, Mo, and Mike discuss the need for mental and physical health and how to manage it in your practice.

🎧 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 14

Karen, Mo and Mike discuss the Afroman trial.

🎧 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.

🎧 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.

Karen, Mo and Mike discuss the urge to use the internet instead of using a lawyer and the pitfalls that can arise.

🎧 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.

Recorded Live on March 24, 2026

Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi bring their Velvet Hammer Podcast style to another important CLE. Learn why you should not take Amazon’s word for how much insurance is available in a delivery crash case. And why Amazon cannot insulate itself from liability by claiming its drivers are independent contractors.

🎧 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 11: When Clients Google Their Lawsuit and It Backfires

Your first instinct after a diagnosis or a sudden injury is to open Google or an AI tool and start researching. It feels responsible. It feels like control.

Karen Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Mike Todd take on what that instinct can mean inside a personal injury lawsuit. What happens when defense attorneys ask for a plaintiff’s Google search history?

As more people turn to AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot to understand their situation and ask what their case is worth, a bigger question follows. If those interactions exist, who gets access to those chat logs? How might courts handle attempts to subpoena or even “depose” an AI assistant?

If you’ve ever Googled your situation while a case is pending, this one will make you think twice.

Follow the show, share it with someone who always Googles first, and leave a review with your take.

🎧 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 10: To Take or Not to Take A Case

How do lawyers decide which cases to take and which ones they have to turn away?

In this episode of The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast, Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi discuss case selection inside a plaintiff law firm. Every week, people call after catastrophic injuries, medical mistakes, or the loss of a loved one. Most believe they have a case. The difficult reality is that many cannot be pursued.

Karen explains the economics of contingency litigation and why complex cases can require hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars to investigate and try. Mo walks through how lawyers evaluate credibility, evidence, and whether a claim can actually be proven in court.

And then there is the hardest part of the job. Saying no.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with someone interested in how these decisions are made, and leave a review telling us what surprised you most.

🎧 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.