Meet Katrina Hofstetter | Attorney at Law & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katrina Hofstetter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katrina, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Family is everything to me. It has always been a huge priority to me to be able to support my family financially. It has also been a priority to have the freedom and flexibility to make my own schedule. I want to be able to do all the things – or at least the opportunity to. School field trips, sporting events, walk-to-school day, even morning drop off. I also want to be able to stay home with a sick child or take a child to their pediatrician or orthodontist appointments without the stress of having to ask for the time off and making sure I have accrued enough paid time off. One major factor in deciding to start my own business was that I would make my own schedule and answer to no one.

I also take great pride in my work and it’s important to me to have complete creative control of the finished product, down to the font style and quality of paper. The entirety of the relationship, product, and services that my clients receive is a direct expression of my character, passion, and beliefs. I knew that I couldn’t provide this quality of relationship, product, or service working for someone else who made all these decisions.

Running my own business hasn’t always been easy, but making the decision to start my own business certainly was.

What should our readers know about your business?
I truly believe that my practice is unique from others that offer the same services. I’m proud of the ways that we put client relationships and quality service above all else. We often work with individuals during an extremely difficult time in their lives – the early days and weeks after the loss of a loved one. We offer probate and trust administration services with a foundation of legal excellence and an emphasis on compassion and patience. We also work with clients to provide estate and business planning services that are completely customized to their unique goals and needs – no copy and paste templates here!

I’m also proud that we offer all our services both in person and virtually, and we travel all over the state of Michigan to meet with clients in the comfort and privacy of their homes. It is certainly a challenge to balance our time every day when we travel so much, but I truly believe that providing our services in this way really exemplifies our brand and our mission.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Lansing area is a pretty fun and unique place to visit. There definitely have to be afternoon visits to walk through Old Town and REO Town. The food and shopping options are amazing. Old Town has so many boutiques and shops – including the Old Town General Store. The chicken and biscuit from The Creole is a must have! REO Town has Deadtime Stories and Good Truckin’ Diner.

We also have quite a few local breweries to visit. Both Lansing Brewing Company and Midtown Brewing Company also have really great food!

If you’re coming with kiddos, you should spend the day at Potter Park Zoo and another at Hawk Island County Park. We also have Impression 5 Science Center. If you’re outdoorsy, hiking at Woldumar Nature Park and Fenner Nature Center should be on the agenda.

And it might sound weird, but you have to visit Horrocks Farm Market. It’s an experience!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first shoutout has to go to my husband, Ryan. He believed in me from day one. He never once questioned if taking this path was right for us and has been my biggest support every single day. When the firm was just shy of 2 years old and business was becoming too much for me to handle alone, he quit his full-time job in upper management to come work with me. He learned an entirely new skill set and now supports the firm full time.

I also have to give shoutouts to two professors from law school – Stacey Dinser and Emily Horvath. Stacey taught me how to perform legal research and how to be a better writer. She also motioned for my admission to the State Bar of Michigan and has taken countless calls from me since I started practicing. Emily supported me throughout law school and gave me opportunities to be her teaching assistant. She also taught me many skills and provided me with a quite space when I was studying for the Bar Exam.

I also have to give another shoutout to a professor from law school – Cathy McCollum. Cathy also gave me the opportunity to be her teaching assistant and supported me throughout law school by providing real life guidance and support as I juggled a family, a full-time job, and law school. Cathy has also become a friend and colleague and has supported me as I’ve built and grown my practice.

Lastly, I have to give a shoutout to some fellow attorneys who I went to law school with – Joshua Bissoon-Dath, Yarenis Rojano Martinez, and Shaneika Walker. Joshua has been a constant sounding board and a source of encouragement when the imposter syndrome kicks in. Yarenis and Shaneika were also growing their families during law school and their friendship and support then and now has been invaluable.

Website: https://www.CornerstoneLegalPLLC.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrina.cornerstonelegal

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/KatrinaHofstetter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cornerstonelegalpllc/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cornerstonelegalpllc

Image Credits
My headshot needs credit given to Sarrah Gani at The Portrait Lounge