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

Shareholder Derivative Action Or Shareholder Derivative Suit?

A legal proceeding brought in a representative capacity is sometimes referred to as a "shareholder's derivative action" and sometimes as a "shareholder's derivative suit".  Which is correct?

Why You May Want To Reconsider Promising Confidentiality To Whistleblowers

In this recent post, I suggested that absolute guarantees of confidentiality to whistleblowers may be counterproductive. In today's post, I will elaborate on why.

Nevada Corporations And Virtual Stockholder Meetings

Companies typically cite cost savings and ease of access as the motivation for holding virtual stockholder meetings.  Andy D. Bryant, Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation, for example, provided the following rationale in the company's 2016...

Agreement To Arbitrate "Any Disputes" Doesn't Reach Derivative Claims

Corn v. Superior Court, 2016 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 6182 (Cal. App. 2d Dist. Aug. 22, 2016) is a case about the meaning of one sentence in a settlement agreement consisting of just seven words - "The Parties agree to arbitrate any disputes". The...

Three Considerations For Drafting A Code of Business Conduct

Although the Securities and Exchange Commission does not require that a company adopt a code of business conduct and ethics, I would be very surprised to hear of an SEC reporting company that has not adopted such a code. Item 406 of Regulation S-K...

Are Alternate Committee Members "Then Serving"?

A number of amendments to Delaware's General Corporation Law took effect at the beginning of this month. One of these changes was to establish a default quorum requirement for meetings of committees of corporate boards of directors. New Section...

Chevron Deference In California

In mid July, the House of Representatives passed the Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2016, H.R. 4768 (SOPRA). If enacted, the SOPRA would amend the federal Administrative Procedure Act to require a reviewing court to decide "de novo all...

What, If Anything, Impedes The SEC's Whistleblower Rule?

As I suspected, law firms are churning out memoranda on the SEC's recent enforcement actions involving alleged impediments to whistleblowers. While accurately, summarizing these actions, I'm not sure that some of the authors have adequately captured...

Who Signs The Bylaws?

I am occasionally asked who should sign the bylaws. The question presumes that bylaws must be signed. Although the California General Corporation Law requires that the original or a copy of the bylaws be available to shareholders (Section 213), it...