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

Silver Hills May Tarnish Crowdfunding

Both Section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 25019 of the Corporate Securities Law of 1968 provide extensional definitions of the term "security". That is, they each list everything within the term being defined.  See Why the Word...

Would You Be Annoyed If Your Neighbor Installs A Wind Turbine?

In 2009, the Nevada legislature enacted a statute intended to remove private barriers to landowners' harnessing of wind energy:

California And Rule 10b5-1

In October of 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted Rule 10b5-1, which among other things, created an "affirmative defense" for pre-planned trading provided that specified conditions were met. At the time, I pointed out that...

CalPERS To Consider External Investment Resource Disclosure Rule

Last August the Investment Committee of the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) approved revisions to its External Investment Resource Conflict of Interest Policy.  A week later, I asked the Office of Administrative Law to make a...

What Happens When Some Investors Agree To Arbitration But Others Don't?

Arbitration continues to be a hot topic for the courts.  See Achilles’ Shield And Judicial Review Of Arbitration Awards and U.S. Supreme Court Holds That State Courts Must Not Assume The Arbitrator’s Role By Declaring Non-Compete Agreements Null And...

Future Filing Date Or Future Effective Date?

In general, the date of filing an instrument under the General Corporation Law is the date on which it is received by the Secretary of State's office.  Cal. Corp. Code §110(a).  There are at least three exceptions to this rule. 

Court Orders Disclosure Of Venture Capital Fund Performance

California's analog to the Freedom of Information Act is the Public Records Act, Government Code § 6250 et seq.  In enacting the the Public Records Act, the legislature quite properly found and declared that "access to information concerning the...

Scholars Ask "Just How Lax Is Nevada Corporate Law?"

As someone who has been writing for decades about Nevada corporate law, it is has been refreshing to see so much academic interest in the state's corporate law.  Last year, Professor Michal Barzuza at the University of Virginia published Market...

Here's One More Thing You Can Do Legally In Nevada But Not In California

Suppose you are a real estate developer with two buildings and you anticipate that investors in each building will have different investment objectives. If the buildings are placed in a single limited liability company, each building will be subject...