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

The California Implications Of Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Ass'n et al.  The case, if decided against the Department of Labor (Thomas E. Perez is the Secretary of Labor), will have a significant impact on all federal...

Muzzling Directors Who Don't Agree

In September, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) selected Theodore “Ted” Eliopoulos as its Chief Investment Officer. This appointment was unanimously approved by the members of the Board of Administration who voted. One...

Liability For Stolen Goods: A Four Thousand Year Old And Still Unsolved Problem

Suppose a businessman purchases inventory from a warehouse and then resells it. Suddenly, the owner of the goods appears and seeks compensation for her goods on the basis that the warehouse had converted the goods. The businessman protests that he...

DBO Proposes Reversal Of Long-Standing CFLL Interpretation

The California Finance Lenders Law generally requires that a person engaged in the business of making consumer loans and/or commercial loans obtain a license from the Department of Business Oversight. Cal. Fin. Code § 22100. There are, of course,...

Judge Orders Stockholder To "Register" Correspondence With The SEC

Many boards operate with a high degree of collegiality, even when the directors disagree. Some don't. When the board of directors of Gas Natural Inc., a publicly traded natural gas holding company, voted to remove its CEO and Chairman, he allegedly...

Buyer's "I Have A Plan" Statement Found To Be Immaterial Puffery

A recent California Court of Appeal decision is a helpful reminder that buyers can also be targets of securities fraud suits.  In Goldsholle v. Brisco, 2014 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 7997 (Cal. App. 2d Dist. Nov. 6, 2014), the seller of a company...

Judge Rules Against FTB In "Doing Business" Definition

Over a year ago, I wrote about an Iowa corporation, Swart Enterprises, Inc., which operates a 60 acre farm in Kansas. Swart has no physical presence in California. It owns no real or personal property in California. However, Swart had invested...

Do Some Companies Already Have Fee-Shifting Provisions (And Not Know It)?

A lot of folks these days are arguing and writing about fee-shifting bylaws as if they were some kind of novel and sudden irruption, like Athena bursting from Zeus' skull. This overlooks the existence of fee-shifting provisions in a myriad of...

Will The Courts Stop Deferring To SEC Interpretations?

In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court announced a foundational principle of administrative law.  When a court reviews an agency's construction of a statute that it administers, the court should: