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

The Too Too Unpardonable Fault Of Conflating LLCs And Corporations

"O, 'tis a fault too too unpardonable!"*

Law Professors Samantha Prince and Joshua Fershee have recently completed an article on the importance of not conflating limited liability companies with corporations.  In An LLC By Any Other Name Is Still Not...

Judge Orders Attorneys Who Failed To Discern The Difference Between "May Not" And "Does Not" To Attend School

Nearly a dozen years ago, I wrote a lengthy post on the meanings of "shall" and "will".  In that post, I noted that "shall" is sometimes used, particularly in Bylaws, to mean "may".   I did not consider whether "may" could mean "does".  

When It Comes To Service Not Every Domestic Corporation Is A Corporation

Yesterday's post mentioned mentioned Chapter 17 of the California General Corporation Law which governs service of process in addition to the provisions of the California Code of Civil Procedure. Corporations Code Section 1700 states that process...

Form Unknown? There's A Statute For That

The California Code of Civil Procedure sets forth the general rules governing the service of summons. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 415.10 - 415.95. Chapter 17 of the General Corporation Law adds to these provisions. In some cases, the form of the...

Are Reverse Stock Splits Subject To Qualification In California?

In this post published yesterday, John Jenkins discussed a proposed Nasdaq rule regarding notification and disclosure of reverse stock splits. In light of John's post, I thought a brief refresher on California's treatment of reverse stock splits...

California Securities Claims Can Transend Even Death

As has been discussed in previous posts, Part 5 of the Corporation Securities Law of 1968 establishes violations and Part 6 prescribes remedies. For example, Corporations Code Section 25401 in Part 5 provides, in part, that it is unlawful for any...

Shoppers May Soon Be Required To Notify The Attorney General Before Buying A Loaf Of Bread Or Can Of Peas!

Last May, I wrote with some incredulity about AB 853 (Maienschein) which is ostensibly directed at mergers and acquisitions of grocery and drug stores.  The bill, however, appears to be progressing toward enactment.   As a reminder, the bill provides:

A Little Big Change For Articles Of Organization Of California LLCs

In 2022, the California legislature amended several provisions of the California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, including Section 17702.01 which lists what must be included in the articles of organization of a California limited...

California Amends Corporations Code To Authorize Audio Option For Shareholder/Member Meetings

Historically, a meeting necessarily meant a physical encounter.  Indeed, the word "meet" can be traced to the Anglo Saxon word metan which means to encounter or meet. So it was that shareholder meetings involved the presence of shareholders or their...