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

Is Delaware Corporate Law Meant Only For Oἱ Όλίγοι?

Professor Stephen Bainbridge has offered a rebuttal to my observation that Delaware's corporate law is inaccessible to everyday observers. He posits that inaccessibility is a "feature not a bug". As an example, he describes a merger transaction rife...

Court Rules That When Profits Are Hypothetical There Can Be No Civil Theft

Under California Penal Code Section 496(a) a person who buys or receives any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, is subject to...

Delaware's Problem Isn't That It's Pro-Plaintiff And Anti-Business, It's That Its Corporate Law Is Too Labyrinthine And Unpredictable

Professor Stephen Bainbridge recently took note of a draft essay by Yale Law School Professor Jonathan R. Macey, Delaware Law Mid-Century: Far From Perfect but Probably Not Leaving for Las Vegas.  Professor Macey posits that while Delaware has a...

FinCEN's Nearly $7 Billion Tax On Small Businesses (Mostly)

Under the Corporate Transparency Act, reporting entities formed before January 1 of this year must file their beneficial ownership information reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (aka the FinCEN). As this deadline nears, I have...

Is The FinCEN Laying The Foundation For The G.O.A.T. Data Breach?

On May 29, 1453 the walls of Constantinople had stood unbreached for more than a thousand years.  Yet on that day, the army of Sultan Mehmed II was able to force entry into the city through the Gate of St. Romanus.  The Byzantine Emperor Constantine...

Using A Service To File A Beneficial Ownership Information Report? Be Sure To Read The Small Print

It cannot be gainsaid that the Corporate Transparency Act has been a major headache for millions of business entities.  The CTA is part of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, Pub. L. No....

Should Law Schools Teach The California Constitution?

Yesterday's edition of the Los Angeles Daily Journal included an above the fold headline proclaiming "growing chorus for state constitutions should be taught in law schools". I don't recall such a course being offered when I was in law school more...

Looking For A Crypto Scam?  You Might Find It Here

The California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation has created an online "Crypto Scam Tracker" that allows the public to by search company name, scam type, or keywords. Scams reported on the Tracker are based on consumer complaints to...

Diversity May Be Hard To Find When It Comes To LLCs

Professor Eugene Volokh recently highlighted a decision by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan taking a plaintiff to task for inadequately pleading diversity jurisdiction when the defendant is a limited liability company. According to Judge Cogan an...