Over 8 years of service, on the record
Kathleen has been active in the Tiburon community for over 8 years – service to her community is not only a priority in her life, but also a pleasure. She has served on the Tiburon Planning Commission for over 8 years. She's President of the Tiburon-Belvedere Rotary Club, a non-profit service organization.
During Kathleen's tenure with the Planning Commission, she has approved many new downtown businesses for operations. As a result, downtown Tiburon is now undergoing an unprecedented, much-needed revitalization. Kathleen loves her work on the Planning Commission and is able to claim a nearly perfect attendance record for the meetings for the past four years.
Kathleen prioritizes fire safety and emergency preparedness. In her private law practice, she advocates for California fire victims. In her free time, she successfully certified her neighborhood as a nationally-recognized Firewise community – proving that Kathleen does not just talk about the need for fire safety – she actively works toward fire prevention.
Kathleen is also the President of the Tiburon-Belvedere Rotary, a non-profit organization dedicated solely to service to the community.
When she is not serving her community, Kathleen is a successful, internationally-recognized consumer insurance attorney, most recently assisting dozens of fire victims every year in their pursuit of recovery from the devastating California wildfires.
- Years serving Tiburon on the Planning Commission
- 8+
- Years on the Farley Place Board, serving local seniors
- 4
- Years as President, Tiburon-Belvedere Rotary
- 6
- Firewise-certified neighborhood, co-founded
- 1st
Years serving Tiburon on the Planning Commission
Years on the Farley Place Board, serving local seniors
Years as President, Tiburon-Belvedere Rotary
Firewise-certified neighborhood, co-founded
From a Michigan farm to Tiburon
Kathleen grew up on a beautiful farm in Michigan, where she learned a true sense of honesty and community from her humble, small-town Midwestern roots. She moved to Tiburon almost twenty years ago, drawn to its natural beauty and world-class sophistication, and has called it home ever since.
Kathleen manages her own law practice, Defever Law, and an advisory firm, MisInsured, representing only insurance consumers – never insurance companies. She began her law career defending federal criminals with the prestigious Federal Criminal Defender's Office in Chicago, Illinois, before shifting to a nationwide practice in Plaintiff's Insurance Litigation, helping both the disabled and those who lost their homes to fires and floods – most recently victims of the Malibu and Altadena Fires in Southern California. She holds a B.A. and J.D. from DePaul University and an LL.M. in Insurance Law from the University of Connecticut, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in International Insurance Law (2023–Present).
Kathleen believes in service above self. She's the six-year President of the Rotary Club of Tiburon-Belvedere, a four-year Board Member of Farley Place – an affordable Senior Community serving Tiburon and Belvedere – and a dedicated advocate for wildfire safety, representing wildfire victims in her practice while leading her own neighborhood to Firewise USA certification.
Kathleen loves to read about history, sociology, psychology, and economics. She also loves the opera, great wines, wellness and spirituality, and French and Italian food. She speaks intermediate French and some Spanish.
