Stephanie DeFonte has been a civil law litigator since 2000, representing both plaintiffs and defendants, including individuals, corporations, and small businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley of California. Her wide-ranging experience covers premises liability, personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, and a variety of general civil litigation matters. Stephanie is “of counsel” with Kraeber Law Office since joining the firm in 2012, focusing her legal work on medical malpractice cases, defending injured patients, spouses, and surviving heirs.
Stephanie finds positive challenge and reward in delving into subject matters, tracing journeys that led clients to where they are, and gathering facts and data that lead to answers, actions, and resolutions. Intrigued by the field of medicine since childhood, she puts her natural interest in medicine and her expertise in the law into every case. A compassionate listener, she is also well-versed in reading medical files, which enables her to put together the pieces of the puzzle to present her client’s case.
Mindful of the emotional impact of a physical injury or loss of a loved one, Stephanie also works to make sure her clients are going into a medical malpractice action for the right reasons.
I’m working with people who are deeply suffering—physically and emotionally, and I am blunt about the importance of the “Why?” behind the action. I encourage them to do this because they want to speak up and express their voice, or they want to be the voice for the person who no longer has a voice. The world isn’t going to change on a single case, but if their personal mission is to speak up—on their own behalf or that of someone they’ve lost—I help them navigate those extremely emotional waters.
Originally from Southern California, Stephanie moved north to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1996. She returned to Southern California to attend Loyola Law School, earning a J.D. in 2000. While at Loyola Law School, Stephanie was an editor at the International and Comparative Law Review.
