Keith Paul Bishop

Keith Paul Bishop

Keith Bishop works with privately-held and publicly-traded companies on federal and state corporate and securities transactions, compliance, and governance matters. He is highly-regarded for his in-depth knowledge of the distinctive corporate and regulatory requirements faced by corporations in the state of California. While many law firms have a great deal of expertise in federal or Delaware corporate law, Keith’s specific focus on California corporate and securities law is uncommon. A former California state regulator of securities and financial institutions, Keith has decades of experience navigating the regulatory-intensive state’s rules. For companies with substantial operations in California but incorporated elsewhere, Keith is an exceptional resource. He is frequently called in to help with issues arising under California’s “blue sky” and lender laws. An avid writer, Keith’s blog, www.calcorporatelaw.com, covers a diverse collection of California corporate and securities law issues and has served as a valued resource for other attorneys, business executives, judges, and media, nationwide.

Recent Posts

Court Holds Disgorgement Requires No Pecuniary Harm

There are equitable remedies and there are legal remedies.  A claimant pursuing a breach of fiduciary claim can choose which type of remedy it seeks.  Choices, like elections, have consequences.

California and Delaware Franchise Taxes Are Similar In Name Only

Recently, I came across a proxy statement filed a California corporation seeking shareholder approval to reincorporate in Delaware.  In the midst of a lengthy disquisition on the pros and cons of reincorporation, the issuer noted that the franchise...

Section 16600 Wipes Out Invention Assignment

"Wipin' out wipe outHey watch outWah wah wahWipin' out wipe out"

The DFPI And Insider Trading

All securities transactions by members and employees of the Securities and Exchange Commission must comply with 5 CFR § 200.735-5 which in turn requires compliance with 5 CFR § 4401.102. In general, § 4401.102 adopts a "possession" standard for...

How To Correct A Defective Meeting of Shareholders

Last Friday's post noted the multiple ways in which a meeting of shareholders may be invalidated. Fortunately, the California General Corporation Law provides several opportunities for curing an improperly called or noticed meeting of shareholders....

How Not To Take Valid Shareholder Action

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina begins with this famous line:

One More Reason For Foreign Corporations To Not Have Any Office In California . . .

Chapter 22 of the California General Corporation Law specifies a number of crimes that may be committed by corporations and/or their directors, officers or agents. The penalties for some violations can be significant. For example, a director,...

Light Is Both A Wave And Particle, But A Corporation And A Partnership Is A "Legal Impossibility"

In 1905, Albert Einstein proposed that light, which until then had been considered to exist as waves, must also be regarded as particles.  Later, Nobel Prize winner Louis-Victor-Pierre-Raymond, 7th duc de Broglie, found that electrons have wave and...

NASAA Urges No Liftoff For Finders Relief

Last week, the North American Securities Administrators Association issued a comment letter urging the Securities and Exchange Commission not to move forward on its proposal to issue a conditional order exempting finders from the requirement to...