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

Grammatical Gender And The General Corporation Law

Many, but not all languages, employ grammatical gender.  Anyone who has studied Spanish or German will know that grammatical gender is essential and can be unrelated to biological sex.  For example, el vestido is a masculine noun even though it...

Did You Ever Wonder Whether "Within" Might Be A Superfluous Pleonasm?

Suppose that you hold an option that must be exercised "within 30 days prior to the expiration of the option". Does this mean that you must exercise the option no later than thirty days before the expiration date or that you may exercise the option...

California Enacts Change-in-Control Benefits For Grocery Workers

Last week, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 359 (Gonzalez) that will impose a worker retention requirement when there has been a change in ownership or control of grocery establishments. In general, the bill will require the successor grocery employer...

Nevada Enacts Provisions Permitting Ratification Of Corporate Acts

Etymologically, one might view the meaning of "ratify" as to make as one had thought.  It is derived from two Latin words - ratus (the past participle of the verb meaning to think) and facere (the infinitive of the verb meaning to make). Two years...

California Amends Code To Authorize Worker Cooperatives

I've written in the past about various efforts to create a workers cooperative law here in California.  See Are Worker Cooperatives A “Sea Water Fish In A Freshwater Pond”? and In The Year 2525, If Man Is Still Alive, If Woman Can Survive, They May...

Court Poised To Decide Whether Directors Are Agents

Not quite four years ago, I wrote about whether directors are agents.  The post was prompted by then Chancellor William B. Chandler III's assertion:

California, Nevada and 38 Other States Have These, But Delaware Doesn't

According to the National Center for State Courts, forty states, including California and Nevada, have established intermediate courts of appeal. California's Court of Appeal was established by a constitutional amendment adopted by the voters in...

California Reverts To Former Securities Anti-Fraud Statute

Readers of this blog will recall my chariness of a 2013 amendment to California's basic securities anti-fraud statute.  See California Creates Complete Chaos By Rewriting Anti-Fraud Statute, But “We Are Against Fraud Aren’t We?” Although I identified...

Section 10(b) Claim Receives a Do-Wacko-Do

So many Section 10(b) claims involve claims of misrepresentation that it easy to forget that the rule also makes it unlawful to use manipulative devices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities.  However, a recent ruling by Judge ...