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

What, Pray Tell, Is A "Foreign Corporation"?

Earlier this week, I wrote about Wellisch v. Pa. Higher Educ. Assistance Agency, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40831 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 21, 2017). The issue was whether the defendant, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, was required to register as...

Department Of Business Oversight Proposes Changes To Proposed Finders Rule

Last July, the California Department of Business Oversight proposed regulations to implement the provisions of AB 667 (Wagner). The bill, which was enacted in 2015 and took effect last year, created a new exemption from the broker-dealer...

Interstate Versus Intrastate Business - What's The Difference?

Some words are easily confused such as hyperthermia and hypothermia. In the case of the former, one is overheated and in the case of the latter, one is not warm enough. The difference becomes more understandable when one knows the roots of these two...

Improper Purpose Frustrates Member's Assertion Of A Proper Purpose

The inspection rights of members of California nonprofit mutual benefit corporations mirror those of shareholders of corporations under the General Corporation Law. Section 8333 of the Corporations Code provides that the accounting books and records...

Want To File A Derivative Suit? You May Soon Be Required To Read Statutes

I have been writing recently about SB 203, a bill that is now pending in the Nevada legislature.  As introduced, the bill would, among other things, require the following:

Nevada Legislature Ponders Rejection Of Unocal And Revlon Standards

Thirty years ago, the Delaware Supreme Court issued two seminal opinions concerning how courts ought to review director decisionmaking in merger and acquisition transactions.  In the first case, Unocal Corporation v. Mesa Petroleum Co., 493 A.2d 946...

Even In Nevada, "Get It In Writing" May Not Be Far From The Mark

A recent ruling by U.S. District Court Magistrate George Foley, Jr. serves as a reminder the "get it in writing" tends to be good advice. The case involves a casino's attempt to enforce a $3 million gaming debt incurred by one of its patrons. This...

Court Finds Lawsuit By Corporation Against Minority Shareholder Is "Protected Activity"

SLAPP is the initialization of the phrase "strategic lawsuit against public participation".  A more informative description of SLAPP suits is found in Simpson Strong-Tie Co., Inc. v. Gore, 49 Cal.4th 12, 21 (2010):

Nevada Legislature Mulls Codification Of The Internal Affairs Doctrine

Delaware and Nevada are each in the business of marketing their corporate laws to businesses in other states. Thus, it should surprise no one that these states don't appreciate it when their legal offerings are undermined by other states. One way to...