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By Paul Stritmatter
Senior Partner

We are so proud to announce that Forbes Advisor recently named three of our Stritmatter attorneys – Karen Koehler, Andrew Ackley, and Lisa Benedetti – as “Best Personal Injury Lawyers” in Seattle in 2023!   

Check out Forbes Advisor and below why they each made the list:

Karen Koehler (lead counsel) presenting her opening statement at the Ride the Ducks trial.

“Karen Koehler is known in the Seattle trial community as “The Velvet Hammer” for her approach to plaintiff personal injury work. She was lead counsel in the Ride the Ducks case, which ended in a $123 million verdict for passengers injured and killed in that accident. Koehler also secured a $3.5 million settlement in the Charleena Lyles case, a woman shot by Seattle police officers. Koehler is a sought-after presenter whose speaking engagements include the Washington State Association for Justice, Court View Network, American Association for Justice and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. She also runs The Velvet Hammer podcast, which discusses what makes trial attorneys tick.”


Andrew Ackley, Partner

“The Seattle legal community recognized Andrew Ackley as a rising star early in his career. He was the second chair in the infamous Ride the Ducks trial. In that trial, Ackley and Karen Koehler represented passengers who were on an amphibious vehicle that crashed into a bus. That accident killed five college students and injured 60 other passengers. But Ackley’s success isn’t limited to one high-profile trial. He also successfully handled cases involving a woman who died on a scuba tour after being abandoned, a mentally disabled man who fell victim to predatory business loans, and a survivor of nine gunshot wounds.”


Lisa Benedetti, Partner

Lisa Benedetti is a successful trial and appellate lawyer who embraces a constant state of learning. Her accomplishments include successfully briefing appellate matters to the Washington State and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and multiple trial and settlement verdicts. She was part of the trial team [led by Koehler] that won a $44.7 million jury verdict for a motorcycle operator who sustained numerous traumatic injuries. Benedetti also secured a $5.3 million settlement in a pedestrian wrongful death case and worked with Karen Koehler in the $3.5 million settlement for a victim of a police shooting. She attended Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College to continue refining her trial skills and learn new strategies.”


Forbes Advisor is an entity within Forbes Media LLC.  It provides money advice, news, and reviews of best services. Our firm did not solicit inclusion into this list nor pay a fee to receive the honor.

About the Author
I have handled well over 1,000 plaintiff personal injury cases.  I have settled or tried to verdict 80 cases for over one million dollars each. The cases have run the gamut from auto crashes to plane crashes.  From highway design to product design.  From recreational diving to recreational soccer.  From medical malpractice to legal malpractice.  From insurance fraud to Insurance Fair Conduct cases.  From Federal Tort Claims to Tribal Court claims.  I have done them all.