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

Even When You Expect To Win The Value Of Your Suit May Be Negative

In prior posts, I've written about risk.  See "To The SEC, 'Risk' Is A Four Letter Word". In my view, risk should be understood as the product of the probabilities of a range of outcomes and the consequences of those outcomes. In assessing risk, both...

U.S. Supreme Court Holds That State Courts Must Not Assume The Arbitrator's Role By Declaring Non-Compete Agreements Null And Void

A short per curiam opinion issued yesterday by the United States Supreme Court concerning an employment dispute in Oklahoma is likely to result in consternation in California. 

Defendant Prevails On Non-Existent Contract

Sometimes, the law simply gets "curiouser and curiouser". Last week, I happened across a decision by the Fourth District Court of Appeal that reached the remarkable conclusion that a defendant was the prevailing party on a contract that it had...

Lincoln (The Movie) Overlooks Nevada

Steven Spielberg's new film, Lincoln, focuses not on the assassination of the President or the end of the Civil War, but on Congress' passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. The film depicts President Lincoln as a skilled, but not overly scrupulous,...

"Sweat Equity" Means No Security

There was no such thing as a limited liability company in 1933, 1934 or even 1968. Thus, Congress and the California legislature had no reason to consider whether a membership interest in an LLC constitutes a security when they drafted the...

Law Firm Uses Attorney-Client Privilege As Shield In Derivative Suit

Nancy Wojtas at Cooley LLP recently brought an interesting ruling to my attention that involves the interplay between derivative litigation and the attorney-client privilege, IP Telesis Inc. v. Velocity Networks Inc., C.D. Cal. Case No.CV 11-09950...

Can Congress Veto A Rule Adopted By The SEC?

The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, P.L. 104-121, March 29, 1996, provides that before a federal agency rule may take effect, the agency must submit to each house of the Congress and to the Comptroller General a report...

Want To Reduce The Costs Of Controlling Cheating By Corporate Agents? Paper Suggests Incorporating In Nevada

Last month, I mentioned a recent article by Professor Michal Barzuza which described Nevada as applying "a strikingly lax corporate law to its corporations".  Michal Barzuza, Market Segmentation: The Rise of Nevada as a Liability-Free Jurisdiction,...

Court Rejects Use Of Alter Ego Doctrine To "Borrow" Contractor License

California's Contractors' State License Law, Business & Professions Code Section 7000 et seq., requires contractors to be licensed unless they are exempt from licensure. Those who perform contracting work without a license run a very real risk of...