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

How The Proposed Fix To Delaware's Stockholder Consent Statute Can Be Fixed

Earlier this week, I wrote about a proposed amendment to Section 228 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. The amendment, which is proposed by The Corporate Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar, would essentially...

Consumer Loan, Commercial Loan or Neither?

The California Finance Lenders Law imposes a licensing requirement on persons engaged in the business of a finance lender. Cal. Fin. Code § 22100(a). Chapter 2 of the CFLL imposes a host of requirements on "consumer loans" and Chapter 3 imposes a...

After 25 Years, Delaware Begins To See The Light

A quarter century ago, I wrote a brief piece criticizing how Delaware handled stockholder action by written consent:

"And" Or "Or" - This Ninth Circuit Opinion Highlights The Difference

"And" and "or" are classified as conjunctions. They are classified as such because they yoke together words, phrases, clauses and sometimes even sentences. They are not interchangeable, however, as illustrated by the recent opinion by the Ninth...

Why Bassam Salman Should Not Have Been Convicted

A lot of ink has been spilt on the United States Supreme Court's decision in Salman v. United States, 137 S. Ct. 420 (2016). In that case, the Supreme Court upheld the criminal conviction of Mr. Bassam Salman who received lucrative trading tips from...

Can It Be That California, "The Biggest Loser" Is Also Number One?

In February, I published a post entitled Is California "The Biggest Loser". My reference was to Professor Lynn LoPucki's finding that "California, home to 1,210 [public] companies but state of incorporation for only 112, is the biggest loser"....

Exactly What Part Of "To The Commission" Is Ambiguous?

The Dodd-Frank Act gave us many things, including Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Section 21F, prohibits employers from retaliating against a "whistleblower". 15 U.S.C. § 78u-6(h)(1)(A). We need not guess about the definition of...

Does Whistleblower Protection Extend To Disclosures To Your Mom Or The Press?

California and federal law establish ample protections for whistleblowers. These protections can be found in numerous laws, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, and Section 1102.5 of the California Labor Code. Whistleblowing...

Professor Bainbridge On My "Beef" With Gantler v. Stephens

Professor Stephen Bainbridge yesterday provided a well considered assessment of my "beef" with the Delaware Supreme Court's holding in Gantler v. Stephens, 965 A.2d 695, 709 (Del. 2009) that "the fiduciary duties of officers are the same as those of...