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

Why Not All Purchasers Are Buyers

Modern English is partially the product of an unnatural grafting of French onto Old English. It is for this reason that we often find two words for nearly the same thing. Thus, we call the animal a cow but the food beef. The barnyard term is Old...

Must A Broker-Dealer Be Licensed As A Personal Property Broker?

Is your California securities broker-dealer a licensed personal property broker?  Does it need to have such a license to make loans to its customers?  Anyone reading California Corporations Code Section 25217(c) would conclude that it must:

Shares of Foreign Subsidiaries

I expect that little or no thought is given to the possible application of California's Corporate Securities Law of 1968 when a corporation incorporates a subsidiary under the laws of a foreign country. However, the issuance of shares to a corporate...

The Case Of The Wholly Owned, But Not Totally Held, Subsidiary That May Or May Not Be 100% Owned

When someone says that a subsidiary is "wholly owned", I believe that the common understanding is that the parent company owns all of the issued and outstanding equity of the subsidiary. What if the statement is that the subsidiary is "totally" or...

Court Declines To Impose Alter Ego Liability On LLC's President

In general, the debts, obligations, or other liabilities of a California limited liability company do not become the debts, obligations, or other liabilities of a member or manager solely by reason of the member acting as a member or manager acting...

When "The Check Is In The Mail" Extinguishes A Debtor's Obligation

Most creditors likely assume that they have not been paid unless and until they receive checks from their debtors.  In many cases that assumption may be correct, but in some cases it won't be.  Section 1476 of the California Civil Code provides:

California Finders Exemption Regulations Are Now Effective

The Commissioner of Business Oversight's final regulations implementing a new exemption for finders from the broker-dealer provisions of the Corporate Securities Law took effect on June 21, 2017.  See 10 CCR §§ 260.211.4, 260.211.5, 260.211.6 and...

CalPERS And Securities Lending - Waiting For Godot?

California Government Code Section 7603 is short and unambiguous:

California Judge Honors Delaware Forum Selection Bylaw

In May, I wrote about Judge Peter H. Kirwan's ruling in Drulias v. 1st Century Bancshares, Inc., (Cal. Super. Ct. Case No. 16-CV-294673, Nov. 18, 2016).  As readers may recall, Judge Kirwan declined to approve a disclosure only settlement based on In...