Thomas H. Keeling

ATTORNEYS & LEGAL PROFESSIONALS

Thomas H. Keeling

Thomas H. Keeling's practice encompasses appellate advocacy, complex civil litigation, business disputes, and eminent domain/ condemnation matters. His briefs are well-crafted, his arguments concise and convincing. Mr. Keeling's mastery of the written word and legal analysis in complex settings have been the decisive factors in many of the Freeman Firm's triumphs. 

Mr. Keeling earned his Juris Doctorate at Stanford Law School in 1984 and was admitted to practice in California the same year. He clerked for Justice Otto Kaus of the California Supreme Court before commencing practice with a national law firm in Southern California. Mr. Keeling relocated to Northern California in 1994; he joined the Freeman Firm in 1999 and became a principal in 2001.

In 2016, after Mr. Keeling passed a rigorous written examination and satisfied the other requirements for a specialist’s certification, the California Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California certified Mr. Keeling as a Legal Specialist in Appellate Law. As of July, 2019, Mr. Keeling remained the only Appellate Law specialist in San Joaquin County.  

Mr. Keeling earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with Highest Honors at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he also became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. As a recipient of a Regents Graduate Intern Fellowship, Mr. Keeling then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his Master's degree in English in 1974 and his Ph.D. in English in 1977. After teaching at the university level for several years, Mr. Keeling decided to pursue a career in law.

Mr. Keeling is a member of the State Bar of California and the San Joaquin County Bar Association. In 2008, he served as the President of the San Joaquin County Bar Association. He worked as a member of the Board of Governors from 2004 through 2007 and became an ex officio member in 2009. For many years, Mr. Keeling also served as Chair and Co-Chair of the MCLE Committee. In 2005, Mr. Keeling received the San Joaquin County Bar Association's "President's Award." As a result of his contributions to the legal community of San Joaquin County, Mr. Keeling recently received the prestigious 2019 Law Day Award.

A member of the Consuelo M. Callahan Inn of Court since its inception in 2006, Mr. Keeling served on the Inn’s Executive Committee for several years and, later, as its 2016-2018 President. He has also served as an Adjunct Instructor in Civil Procedure at Humphreys University Laurence Drivon School of Law.

Mr. Keeling is admitted to practice before all United States District Courts of California, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He has been admitted pro hac vice to the United States District Courts of Maryland and Arizona.

Mr. Keeling’s Reported Cases Include:

Manteca Unified School District v. Reclamation District No. 17
(2017) 10 Cal.App.5th 730
Property Reserve, Inc. v. Superior Court
(2016) 6 Cal.App.5th 1007
Property Reserve, Inc. v. Superior Court
(2016) 1 Cal.5th 151
White v. City of Stockton
(2016) 244 Cal. App. 4th 754
Cobb v. City of Stockton
(2011) 192 Cal.App.4th 65
Salas v. Sierra Chemical Co.
(2011) 198 Cal.App.4th 29 
City of Stockton v. Marina Towers, LLC
(2009) 171 Cal.App.4th 93 
TeSelle v. McLoughlin
(2009) 173 Cal.App.4th 156 
National Fair Housing Alliance v. A.G. Spanos Construction, Inc.
(N.D. Cal. 2008) 542 F.Supp.2d 1054 
Garcia v. Brockway
(9thCir. 2008) 526 F.3d 456
H.D. Arnaiz, Ltd. v. County of San Joaquin
(2002) 96 Cal.App.4th 1357
City of Ripon v. Sweetin
(2002) 100 Cal.App.4th 887
City of Stockton v. Albert Brocchini Farms, Inc.
(2001) 92 Cal.App.4th 193
In re American Honda Motor Co. Dealerships Litigation
(D. Md. 1996) 958 F.Supp. 1045 ("Honda II")
New v. Armour Pharmaceutical Co.
(9th Cir. 1995) 67 F.3d 716
Calfarm Insurance Co. v. Deukmejian
(1989) 48 Cal.3d 805
Waller v. Financial Corporation of America
(9th Cir. 1987) 828 F.2d 579

Mr. Keeling’s Presentations Include:

Speaker
Civil Appeals – The Seven Deadly Sins (And How to Avoid Them) (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2019)
Speaker
2017 Appellate Judicial Attorneys Institute (AJAI) (Center for Judicial Education and Research [CJER]), Eminent Domain, April 7, 2017 (San Jose, CA)
Speaker
Jumping to the Front of the Line: A Civil Writs Primer (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2017)
Speaker
Saving Your Bacon: Appellate Essentials for Civil Trial Lawyer (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2016)
Panelist and Author
Property Reserve, Inc. – Case Review and Practical Implications (Eminent Domain – 16th Annual Conference, Eminent Domain Institute - CLE International, San Francisco, October 27, 2014)
Speaker
Appellate Essentials: What Every Trial Lawyer Must Know About Appeals and Writs (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn. 2014)
Speaker
Condemned! Eminent Domain for the Legal Professional (Paralegal Association of Santa Clara County, Palo Alto, October 20, 2012)
Speaker
Condemned! Eminent Domain for the General Practitioner (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., Masters Series 2012)
Co-Presenter
Eminent Domain Workshop for Delta Landowners (Restore the Delta, 2011)
Author
Rumble in the Delta: An Overview of the Legal Battle Over Accessing Delta Properties for Studies Preliminary to Construction of a Peripheral Canal (Across the Bar, August/September 2011)
Speaker
Appellate Essentials, Waivers, Standards of Review, and Presumptions on Appeal (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2010)
Co-Presenter
Are You Properly Engaged? - What You Don't Know About Attorney Fee Agreements Can Hurt You (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2009)
Co-Presenter
Game On! - Provisional Remedies in State Court Litigation (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2009)
Speaker
S.L.A.P.P. Happy: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2008)
Speaker
Public Agencies as Litigants (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2006)
Co-Presenter
Effective Legal Writing (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2005)
Co-Presenter
Saving Your Bacon: What You Must Know About Making and Preserving Your Appellate Record (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2004)
Contributing Author and Panelist
What You Need to Know About Public Records and Open Meetings in California (Lorman Education Services, 2003)
Panelist
"Hot" Topics in Legal Ethics (San Joaquin Co. Bar Assn., 2002)
Co-Author and Co-Presenter
How to Protect Your Business from Ruinous Litigation in California (National Business Inst., 1997)
Co-Presenter
Trial Evidence in California (National Business Inst., 1997)
Contributing Author and Panelist
Tort Litigation - California Judges Association 1995 Program (California Judges Assn. and The Rutter Group, 1995)
Editor and Contributing Author
Damages in Business Litigation (The Rutter Group and Assn. of Business Trial Lawyers, 1990)
Panelist
Advanced Level Series - Damages in Business Litigation (L.A. Co. Bar Assn. and The Rutter Group, 1990)
Panelist, Editor, and Contributing Author
Getting to the Bottom Line: Damages Before, During and After Trial (14th Annual Seminar of the Assn. of Business Trial Lawyers, 1987)
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