Chad Coleman was born in Macon, Georgia. Mr. Coleman moved to Rocklin, California in 1981. In 1995, Mr. Coleman graduated California State University at Sacramento receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in Administration of Criminal Justice with a Minor in Sociology while receiving Dean’s Honor List recognition. In 1999, Mr. Coleman graduated from University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor while also receiving Dean’s List recognition. Mr. Coleman published in The Transnational Lawyer in 1998 and went on to become that publication’s Managing Editor in 1999. Mr. Coleman is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, California Supreme Court, the United States District Court, Eastern District of California, and all California Administrative Law Courts. Mr. Coleman’s practice focuses on the defense and subrogation of employers and insurance carriers for workers’ compensation and related claims.

Mr. Coleman is a Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law. This certification was bestowed in 2005 by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California at the recommendation of both fellow lawyers and local Workers’ Compensation Judges.

Mr. Coleman is a frequent lecturer for the Insurance Educational Association. Presently, Mr. Coleman is the President for the Valley Industrial Claims Association, with whom he has been a member since 1999. Mr. Coleman is also a member in the Association of Workers’ Compensation Professionals, Labor and Employment Section for the California State Bar, and the Sacramento County Bar Association Workers' Compensation Section.

When away from work Mr. Coleman enjoys spending time with his wife and young son, as well as outdoor activities which include golfing, softball, hunting, fishing and more golfing.

Richard Chavez was born in Laguna Beach, California. He graduated from California State University at Sonoma in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice. Mr. Chavez received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1999. While at McGeorge, he was admitted to the Roger J. Traynor Honor Society on May 15, 1998. Mr. Chavez was admitted to the California State Bar in 1999.

Mr. Chavez's practice areas include Workers' Compensation, Workers' Compensation Subrogation, Appellate, and Employment Counseling & Litigation.  He previously worked for Cuneo, Black, Ward & Missler as a Partner and Associate.  He is now a founding partner of Coleman, Chavez & Allen.  Mr. Chavez has extensive experience representing employers in a full range of employment related issues, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, civil rights and unfair competition proceedings. Additionally, Mr. Chavez has represented public entities on civil rights claims, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title IX.  He also has substantial experience in complex tort claims involving product liability and premise issues, industrial workplace injuries, and construction site accidents.

Currently, Mr. Chavez is a member of the Sacramento Bar Association, San Francisco Bar Association, The Hispanic National Bar Association, La Raza Lawyers of California, La Raza Lawyers of Sacramento, California State Bar Workers' Compensation Section, Sacramento County Bar Workers' Compensation Section, and the Valley Industrial Claims Association. In addition, Mr. Chavez occasionally speaks to businesses regarding employment related issues.

When away from work, Mr. Chavez enjoys spending time with his young son, as well as golfing, tennis, baseball, and traveling.

A California native, Ms. Allen graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1996 receiving Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Environmental Studies and Spanish.  Ms. Allen also attended the University of Barcelona as an exchange student during her undergraduate studies.  In 2000, she received her Juris Doctor from the University of California at Davis School of Law.  During law school, she participated in moot court and was a quarter-finalist at the National Environmental Moot Court Competition in New York in 1999.  She was admitted to the California State Bar and the U.S. Eastern District Court in 2000.

Ms. Allen has been practicing workers compensation defense since 2000 and was certified as a Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California in 2007.

Ms. Allen is active in the workers’ compensation community.  She is a Board member of the Association of Workers’ Compensation Professionals and gives educational seminars to members of the employment and insurance communities.  She is also a member of the California State Bar Workers’ Compensation Section, the Sacramento County Bar Association and the Sacramento County Bar Workers’ Compensation Section.

Ms. Allen is married with a son and daughter.  While not practicing law she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, running, yoga, snow skiing and water skiing.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Ms. Boyland relocated to Sacramento, California as a visiting student at McGeorge School of Law during her final semester of law school. After falling in love with the West Coast weather and sights she decided to make Sacramento her home. After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in May 2004 she passed the July 2004 California State Bar exam.

Ms. Boyland was sworn in shortly thereafter and has been practicing workers' compensation since 2005.

In July 2006, Ms. Boyland passed the Missouri State Bar exam and credits her accomplishments in large part to the excellent education she received at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Since becoming an attorney, Ms. Boyland has taught IEA classes on workers' compensation and been granted a Petition for Reconsideration where she successfully challenged the legal issues raised therein. She enjoys attending workers' compensation seminars to continually expand her knowledge of the workers' compensation system. One of Ms. Boyland's favorite aspects of her job is traveling to different locations throughout California for appearances.

Ms. Boyland is extremely proud and excited to have been chosen as the first associate to join Coleman, Chavez and Allen and looks forward to growing with this wonderful new firm.

Jeffrey Lanterman was born in Mountain View, California. Mr. Lanterman joined Coleman, Chavez & Allen in January of 2009. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1990 (B.A. with honors) and Santa Clara University Law School in 1993. He was admitted to the California State Bar and the U.S. Northern District Court in 1993. His legal career has been devoted exclusively to Workers’ Compensation defense.

In addition to the practice of law, Jeff brings related experience in the business world as the operations manager of a multi-specialty medical group, a physician educator and the Executive Director of a Medical Provider Network. He has also spent a year as a licensed charter boat captain in Kona, Hawaii fishing for Marlin.

Mr. Lanterman is married with two children. In what remains of his spare time, he enjoys rowing, waterskiing and sport fishing.

Originally from Southern California, Ms. Sands moved to the Sacramento area to attend undergraduate school at the University of California at Davis, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2001. Feeling quite at home up here, she then went to the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. In 2005, she received her Juris Doctor cum laude. During law school, she participated in Law Review and was a member of the Traynor Honor Society. She was admitted to the California State Bar and the U.S. Eastern District Court in 2005.

Prior to passing the bar, Ms. Sands worked for the Sacramento Public Defender’s office in the Felony division and was the head of the legal research department. However, immediately after her admission to the bar, she began her workers' compensation practice with a defense firm in Sacramento. After spending three years practicing workers’ compensation defense, Ms. Sands joined a civil litigation firm in Sacramento, spending over a year handling, ironically, mostly workers’ compensation related cases, such as legal malpractice, subrogation, and section 132(a) claims. After coming to her senses, she joined the firm of Coleman, Chavez & Allen in 2009.

Ms. Sands has worked extensively with the Sacramento, Stockton, Redding, Marysville, Fresno, Oakland and San Francisco Workers' Compensation Appeals Boards. She has worked closely with the judges on these boards and is knowledgeable of the litigation processes of these particular entities. She works on behalf of insured and self-insured clients, and handles a wide variety of workers' compensation cases, including subrogation, Serious and Willful Misconduct, 132(a) claims, and medical fraud. She brings her civil experience with her as well, which helps on a variety of issues.

Ms. Sands handles all aspects of her cases, including depositions, hearings, trials and appeals. She specializes in legal research and appellate writing and has extensive experience with the appellate process, including having two Writs of Reviews that were granted for argument in front of the CA Court of Appeals (Davis v. SCIF, and Gallegos v. WCAB).

In her “spare” time, Ms. Sands enjoys spending time with her husband and one year old son, shopping, kick-boxing, yoga, boating, wine-tasting and leisurely golf.

Melanie Bronny was born in Scotland and lived in Germany before moving to Northern California in 1989. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Sacramento, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Ms. Bronny earned her law degree from the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. During law school she was a semi-finalist in the Traynor Moot Court competition and earned Best in Brief distinction.

Melanie passed the July 2007 California State Bar exam and has been practicing Workers’ compensation ever since. She joined the firm of Coleman, Chavez & Allen in 2009.

In her “spare time” Melanie enjoys snowboarding or wakeboarding depending on the season and recently added kiteboarding to her list of hobbies.