Kara Hoorn Named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Influential Women of Law Class of 2026

July 21, 2026

Miller Canfield is pleased to announce that principal attorney Kara L. Hoorn has been named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly's Influential Women of Law Class of 2026.

The awards program honors women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system and their clients, their commitment to their communities, and their service to the profession. Honorees will be recognized at a luncheon on Sept. 18, 2026, at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center in Lathrup Village.

Hoorn is a principal in Miller Canfield's Kalamazoo office. Her practice focuses on estate and gift tax planning, charitable giving, trust creation and administration, business succession, probate and estate settlement, guardianship and conservatorship matters, prenuptial agreements, and related corporate matters. She helps clients identify their goals and develop plans to protect their families, businesses, assets and long-term interests.

"Kara is an exceptional attorney whose work reflects both technical excellence and deep compassion for the people she serves," said Miller Canfield CEO Michael Palizzi. "She brings sound judgment, integrity and humanity to some of the most personal and consequential matters our clients face. This recognition is well deserved."

Hoorn's path to private practice has given her a distinctive perspective on the needs of families, older adults and vulnerable individuals. Before returning to private practice, she owned and operated a home health care business that provided in-home support to elderly and disabled individuals and employed nearly 100 caregivers. During that time, she completed certified nursing assistant training and gained firsthand experience with the challenges families face when planning for aging, incapacity and long-term care.

Today, Hoorn draws on that experience in her legal practice, particularly in guardianship, conservatorship, trust administration and estate planning matters. Her work often involves helping families navigate difficult transitions, advising fiduciaries on their legal obligations, protecting vulnerable adults, and ensuring clients have the proper planning documents in place before a crisis occurs.

Hoorn's representative matters include estate plans ranging from modest estates to multimillion-dollar estates, trust administration matters involving incapacitated settlors, beneficiary disputes, probate proceedings, guardianship and conservatorship matters, and business succession planning. Her corporate background also includes work on private placements, preferred stock offerings, corporate reorganizations, asset sales, recapitalizations and acquisition matters.

In addition to her legal practice, Hoorn serves as a board member of Milestone Senior Services and is involved with Gull Lake Sports Boosters. She has presented on grantor trusts for the National Business Institute and regularly speaks on estate planning and retirement planning topics.

Hoorn earned her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law and her B.A. from Kalamazoo College. She is admitted to practice in Michigan.