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 A Train Wreck Changed The Constitution

In the early morning of October 3, 1970 on rural road just outside San Jose, 61-year old Engineer Anthony Gassell was at the controls of his Southern Pacific locomotive as it headed northwest. At the same time, 24-year old Kathryn Colville was...

To Whom Does "Related Parties" Refer In A.S. No. 18?

In June of last year, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board adopted Auditing Standard No. 18 which "establishes requirements regarding the auditor's evaluation of a company's identification of, accounting for, and disclosure of relationships...

ISS Ignores Contrary Studies In Adopting Overboarding Policy Change

ISS released its 2016 Benchmark Policy Recommendations last Friday.  I had previously criticized ISS for its proposal to change its recommendation on withholding votes with respect to directors who sit on too many boards:

Enjoining The Correct Spelling

In yesterday's post, I wrote that Judge Leigh Martin May had issued a ruling enjoining a SEC administrative proceeding.  Presumably, Judge May has or will issue an injunction.  This leads me to question why the verb is typically spelt "enjoin" while...

Court Enjoins SEC Administrative Proceeding

Last March, I posed the following question:

Is There A State Role For Binary Option Regulation?

The North American State Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) recently warned investors about the risks of investing in binary options. While NASAA asserts that many binary trading platforms are "unregulated or are completely illegal", I...

If It Doesn't Sell Buckets, Is It Truly A Bucket Shop?

An often overlooked corner of the California Corporations Code is the Bucket Shop Law, Cal. Corp. Code § 29000 et seq.  The law quite literally criminalizes the keeping of a bucket shop:

Society Warns ISS That Overboarding Policy Change Will Hurt Women And Minority Directors

Recently, I criticized ISS' proposed changes to its policy on "overboarding".  Therefore, I was pleased to see that I wasn't a lone voice crying in the wilderness.  The Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals also submitted a ...

The California Political Contribution Case That 19 Law Professors Missed

Earlier this week, I wrote about an amicus curiae brief submitted by 19 law school professors Friedrichs v. Cal. Teachers Ass'n, a case now pending before the United States Supreme Court. In particular, I questioned whether these academics properly...