Shane P. Coleman

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I began my legal career in the insurance business as in-house counsel for a national excess and surplus lines insurance company which provided insurance for hard-to-find, high risk business and activities.  At the insurance company I was exposed to and defended the company against a wide variety of personal injury claims.  Specifically, I negotiated and settled claims ranging from simple car accidentsand slip and falls to wrongful death claims arising from various incidents. Not only did I gain experience defending the insurer, but I gained an understanding of what it takes to settle a claim from the injured’s position.

After gaining experience as a lawyer in the insurance field and negotiating personal injuryclaims, I accepted an in-house position managing litigation for a national mortgage servicer.  In my role as an attorney for the servicing company I managed and negotiated claims, lawsuits and bankruptcy adversarial matters covering all aspects of consumer lending lawincluding claims for violation of the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act and various state and federal consumer protection acts. In addition, I helped create and implement policies and procedures to both keep the company in compliance with the strictly regulated mortgage industry and to prepare it for litigation.

In 2008, I relocated to Spokane, Washington to be closer to family and to accept an attorney position with Witherspoon Kelley, the oldest law firm in Washington and the largest in Eastern Washington.  My practice was built upon my experience in consumer lending and expanded into commercial lending.  In addition to individuals, I represented some of the largest regional banks in the area.  In my role role as attorney for these banks, I negotiated work-outs of troubled debts/assets, drafted a variety of documents and agreements (including, among other things, loan agreements and settlement agreements), sought collection of amounts owed to the banks/creditors, and proceeded with foreclosures, replevinsand garnishments when necessary. I also acted as the banks’ bankruptcy lawyer in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.

In October 2010, I decided to start my own Spokane law practice.  I have taken my experience representing the “big guys” and am putting it to work being a Spokane attorney for the “little guys,” including smaller entities and individuals.  My desire is to continue providing quality service for my clients without them needing to spend the “big firm” money. 

In addition to the practice areas above, I received an advanced degree in Taxation (an LL.M) from the University of Washington School of Law.  In obtaining this degree, I gained the knowledge and experience to be an estate planning attorney able to assist Spokane individuals and families prepare wills and trusts, powers of attorney and to better understand the probate process; I obtained his tax degree because he desired to help individuals prepare for what can be a difficult time in life. Because of this desire to help individuals and families, my new law practice will include Estate Planning, Wills and Probate.