Pacific Northwest Injury Law Advocate - News & Updates on Personal Injury Law with a Focus on the Northwest & Seattle-Tacoma Metro Area

Thanks to all of you who voted for Karen's blog! Not only is KarenKoehlerBlog.com in the 2012 ABA Top 100 Blawgs, it is again (2nd year in a row) #1 in the "Trial Practice" category.

For those of you have not checked out Karen's personal blog, you are missing out on some fascinating tidbits and pieces of practical advice for lawyers.

Congratulations, Karen! Keep up the great blog!

The following is reprinted from the King County Bar Bulletin, June 2012 issue.

"The Velvet Hammer" is a perfect moniker for Karen Koehler. Her disarmingly soft touch belies her tough-as-nails representation of wrongful death and catastrophically injured clients.

While raising three daughters (Cristina, Alysha and Noelle), Karen has managed to raise the bar as one of Washington's top trial lawyers. Her Oprah-style trial approach has earned her the recognition of her peers as a Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ).

Most recently, her 1½-year-old blog (KarenKoehlerBlog.com) catapulted to the top of the charts as the American Bar Association's No. 1 Trial Practice blog.

Karen is as technical as she is creative. Her logical German father is a retired UW professor of biological structure. Her intuitive Chinese mother is a retired general practice lawyer. They taught her to be proud of her mixed race and that it wasn't necessary to fit within a stereotype. As a result, Karen takes delight in challenging trial lawyer "norms."

"You can be serious and do a good job without having to take yourself too seriously," she says. She is on a personal quest to show the general public that "lawyers are real people too." This is what makes her blog so appealing to a large cross section of society.

"We lawyers are our own worst PR enemies," Karen says. "Look at the awful ads on everything from television to taxi cabs. The Internet is clogged with lawyer garbage. Our best hope is to stop adding to the caricature and humanize ourselves."

Karen obliges through her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, P'interest, and any other new social network device that her daughters learn and tell her about. She has changed the way the law firm of Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Coluccio (SKWC) portrays itself - from the ads she conceptualizes to the booklets she shepherds through completion.

For the past decade, Karen has been writing trial diaries that reflect her love of courtroom drama and her desire to have fun - from the time she lost a shoe and wore flip flops while cross-examining a witness to the time the entire jury panel, judge, defense counsel and everyone else in the courtroom applauded her witness on a spinning bike. Her stories enthrall as much as they inform.

Justice Steven González admits with a chuckle, "While not in trial, I enjoy reading her blog." About what makes her interesting in the courtroom, he explains, "Karen is not afraid to disagree - whether it's with opposing counsel or with the court. Her arguments are excellent and make a good record effectively."

Another judge who also enjoys Karen's blogs and trial diaries when not presiding over one of her cases is Judge Richard McDermott. "Her trial diaries are a refreshingly candid account," he says. "While self-effacing, they are poignant and accurate. What a great tool she's provided for young lawyers."

In commenting about her as a trial lawyer and her courtroom presence, Judge McDermott says, "Karen is very special. When she's in the courtroom she looks like she wants to be there. Unlike too many attorneys, she's always well prepared."

Judge Mary Yu describes Karen as "an extraordinary trial lawyer; she is intuitive with jurors and creative with her presentation. I truly appreciated her sense of humor, intensity and willingness to experiment with me as we took one of her cases (a jury trial) up to Seattle University School of Law. The one word that comes to mind when I think of Karen is 'courageous.'"

Karen's energy level (she calls it her hyperactivity disorder) has shown no signs of waning over the years. (Does she ever sleep?) And in case you are interested, she is not shy about being "51 years alive."

Karen runs more than an hour every day, usually with her dog Nala. "It's how I meditate," she says. She manages a demanding caseload with SKWC and did so even when she recently served as WSAJ president. She frequently speaks around the country for trial lawyer associations and the American Association for Justice where she is also a board member.

She has been an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the UW where she has taught for seven years with Bill Bailey. And, in 2010, she started the Female Trial Advocacy Program that offers classes through WSAJ.

In 2011, Karen wanted to make a difference outside of the legal arena. She created (with SKWC's significant support) and now serves as the president of the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Washington (SCIAW.org). SCIAW is a partner of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

Karen's daughter Cristina organized SCIAW's first large event, the Green Lake Walk and Roll, which raised over $11,000. The second Walk and Roll will be October 6 and is expected to be at least twice as big.

Karen's high-profile cases include:

Kime v. City of Seattle: The Kime case is well known by Seattle residents who were around in the early 2000s. Young Kris Kime was trying to help an innocent victim, who was being attacked during the Mardi Gras riots of 2001, when he himself was then beaten to death. Despite Kris's friends pleas to the police, who stood nearby, the officers complied with the mayor's orders to do nothing. Suing the city was a way to hold it accountable for decisions that led to avoidable death and injuries.

Ethel Adams v. Farmers Insurance Company: Michael Testa rammed his girlfriend's truck as he chased her down Aurora Avenue. The truck crossed the centerline where it flipped upside down on top of and head-on into Ethel Adams, almost killing her. Adams' insurance company, Farmers, decided not to pay the claim because road rage was not an "accident."

The public became outraged as media covered the lawsuit. The insurance commissioner threatened to shut Farmers down in Washington, at which point it changed its mind and paid on the policy. Adams then sued Farmers for bad faith. One year after Adams was hurt, the governor signed the "Ethel Adams Bill" into law - when an innocent person is injured in a car accident, the insurance company can no longer play the same word games.

Perez v. "Construction Company": SKWC, through Karen, Paul Stritmatter and Kevin Coluccio, brought a lawsuit on behalf of Candelario Perez and his three dependent children in the Eastern District of Washington in Spokane. In 2008, Perez was tightening barbed wire to a fence post when he fell backwards off a cliff in Eastern Washington, tumbling head over heels down a canyon wall. Perez became an instant quadriplegic.

For a year and a half the SKWC team battled with the general contractor, which had failed to provide any fall-protection safety. SKWC even went with all five of its experts to the cliff with proper safety gear. Exactly two years after Perez's tragic injury, the case settled for $7 million - the available policy limits.

Both the general and subcontractor are still in business and working together. But there is now a difference. Today, their workers attend regular safety meetings, minutes are kept, fall-protection gear is provided, and there is a fall-protection system in place.

Karen will be the first to say that she's not an island. She is still best friends with her former law partner Pat LePley. She credits the strength of the Stritmatter firm for helping her to blossom these past eight years. She has a picture of her paralegals Anne Roberson and John Meyers front and center on her desk because they "get it all done."

Her network of extended family and dear friends grounds her. Cristina, her eldest daughter, is on her way to Gonzaga University School of Law. Alysha, a junior at the UW, created and is president of UW Yogis - a 200-member group. Noelle has completed her freshman year and is heading to school in Nashville for a music business degree.

Karen Koehler personifies the new-era trial lawyer. She improves the image of our entire profession, while obtaining significant results for her clients as only "The Velvet Hammer" can.

Paul Stritmatter, a former Trial Lawyer of the Year and Champion of Justice, is a partner at Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Coluccio. Stritmatter's blog, FightSubro.com, is also quickly catching up with Koehler's personal blog in terms of readers. Catherine Fleming is an attorney at SKWC. She contributes regularly to the firm blog at pnwinjurylawadvocate.com.

A little bit of history was made yesterday, as Steven C. Gonzalez was sworn in as the newest Washington State Supreme Court judge. He is the first Mexican American Supreme Court justice for our state. He is the second Latino justice on the court. Justice Charles Z. Smith was the first Latino, appointed by former Governor Booth Gardner back in 1988.

Justice Gonzalez has demonstrated a commitment to equal access to justice, He authored guidelines to improve access for people with disabilities. Additionally, he served as an assistant U.S. Attorney, working on the case against Ahmed Ressam, the accused terrorist who had allegedly plotted to blow the Space Needle.

His bio on the Washington Courts website indicates that he is fluent in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. He has two sons and lives with them and his wife, Michelle, an Assistant Dean at the UW Law School.

Editors of the ABA Journal today announced they have selected Karen Koehler's blog (AKA "Velvet Hammer") as one of the top 100 best law blogs by lawyers, for lawyers. For anyone who's read Karen's blog, this recognition comes as no surprise.

Now, do your part and vote Karen's blog as a favorite in each of the 5th Annual Blawg 100’s 12 categories. Go ASAP to http://www.abajournal.com/blawg100 to register and vote. Voting ends at close of business on Dec. 30, 2011. The best categories for Karen's blog is Trial Practice, For Fun, and Torts.

"Blogging has become an important, even vital, source of information, education, entertainment and inspiration in the legal community. Whether written by practicing lawyers, law students, judges or law professors, blawgs are becoming more bold, more sophisticated and more integrated into the everyday experience of the profession," said Allen Pusey, editor and publisher of the ABA Journal. "And choosing just 100 of the best from our directory of 3,500 legal blogs is becoming an increasingly daunting task."

About the ABA Journal:

The ABA Journal is the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association, and it is read by half of the nation’s 1.1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. ABAJournal.com features breaking legal news updated as it happens by staff reporters throughout every business day, a directory of more than 3,000 lawyer blogs, and the full contents of the magazine.

Have you been wanting to volunteer more? Are you interested in having some fun getting your hands dirty? Would you be excited to be a part of one of the largest volunteer events in our city - and then go to a great party? Then join the SKWC group & get-together for Seattle Works Day - Saturday, May 21!

Volunteer
12:00-3:30pm at parks, schools, community centers and other sites all over the city, RAIN OR SHINE.  We are going to try to pick a project close to our Queen Anne neighborhood, but that’s not guaranteed.
For liability purposes, all volunteers must be 18 years or older.

Celebrate
Immediately following at Seattle Center (food, drinks and entertainment!)

Support Seattle Works
Our contribution supports their year-round work to provide community engagement programming. They've facilitated over 500 volunteer projects at 143 partner organizations in the past year! Our investment on Seattle Works Day helps them do it.

Registration
Registration is $30 per team member which benefits Seattle Works and gets you the project, party and event tee. We hope that you're willing to give up a part of your Saturday, and be willing to get dirty for a few hours with the SKWC team!

Earlier this week, Paul Stritmatter received the "Legacy Award" from the Hoquiam Business Association. The award was in honor of Paul's work in the community.  Most recently, Paul initiated the "Paint the Corridor" project, which was initially focused on sprucing up the town for tourists, by painting 26 owner-occupied homes. However, the project quickly turned into a celebration of volunteerism and hometown pride.

Ray Kahler received the "Next Generation Award"  as a young professional on the rise. He was recognized especially for his talents displayed at the 7th Street Theatre. 

Kudos to both of you, Paul and Ray!  We're proud of you for doing so much outside the office, in addition to all that you do for your clients! 

Paul Stritmatter and Keith Kessler met on the streets of Moscow. Russia, that is. In October 1979.

You will recall that 1980 the Olympics were scheduled to take place in Moscow. In an apparent attempt to learn more about the expected American tourists, Russia offered an exchange of Washington State lawyers with Moscow lawyers. The plan was to learn the likes and dislikes of the American tourist. It was not a very successful venture.

The treatment of the American tourists was deplorable. The examples were many. The hotel rooms were bugged. (Yes, we found the listening devices in our rooms.) The food was unpalatable. ( Paul lost 14 pounds on the trip.) One evening it was announced that we would be given an “American breakfast” the next morning. They served hotdogs. Keith was (and is) a vegetarian. His food choices were even more limited. At times all he and Lynn were served was a plate of radishes. The propaganda was limitless. (One day they told us the US Attorney General had resigned. Many of us were shocked. Turned out it was not true. Another time they told us a horrible snowstorm had hit the State of Oregon, and many people had died. Turned out it was not true.) The airplanes were beyond belief. (We had airport delays of 14, 16 and 20 hours on three different in-country trips.) When we landed in Kiev, the door to the plane was frozen shut and it took them several hours to get it open. In the mean time we sat in the plane without any air-conditioning or fresh air. The temperature became more than uncomfortably warm.

There were 48 lawyers and spouses on the trip. The conditions finally became so bad, that all 48 of us voted to leave the country and either fly to western Europe or back to the USA. Like nearly all requests of our hosts during the trip, our request was denied.

So it was with that background that Paul and Keith first met. They enjoyed one another even while they were not enjoying the trip itself. They bonded. It was hoped that they would remain on contact with one another in the future.

A “reunion” of all 48 people was held the following February to reminisce and share photos. During that party, Keith announced that he was looking to change jobs. He was offered jobs at three Seattle firms on the spot. Paul then got into the act. He said that if Keith really wanted to have an active trial practice, he would move to Grays Harbor. While the statements by Paul we made in jest, the following Tuesday, Keith applied for a job with Stritmatter and Stritmatter. Not wanting to lose such a valuable lawyer to the firm and to the community, Keith was offered a job that Friday.

And Keith was not alone. He brought Lynn with him. Shortly after that they were married. Keith has not only gone on to have a sterling career as a lawyer out of Hoquiam, Lynn went on the be elected to the Legislature from the area, and served as the majority leader in the House for 8 years before her retirement in 2010.

And the 1980 Olympics. Oh yeah, they were boycotted by the USA in protest of the Russian involvement in Afghanistan. (And because of all our protests on how they treated the American tourist.)