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

Dissolution Does Not Preclude Entry Of Default Judgment Against Nevada Corporation(?)

Stephens Media, LLC is the publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  In 2009, Stephens Media filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against Citihealth, L.L.C. alleging a variety of trademark related claims. Citihealth failed to respond to the...

California's New LLC Act - Call Me Laocoon, But I Foresee A Mess!

On Friday, Governor Brown signed SB 323 (Vargas) into law. It was chaptered by the Secretary of State the same day. Section 20 of the bill adds the California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (RULLCA) to the Corporations Code as a new...

Classifying A Coterie Of Covenants

Yesterday, I wrote about Judge Lucy Koh's decision in SriCom, Inc. v. eBisLogic, Inc., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131082 (N.D. Cal., Sept. 13, 2012) concerning the enforceability of a no-hire agreement.  Judge Koh mentions an earlier ruling by Judge ...

Court Says "No Way" To No-Hire

California is known for its hostility to covenants not to compete.  Legal antipathy to these kind of agreements didn't start here, however. 

Did A State Agency Really Decide That Corporations Have A Right To Assault Weapons?

The California Constitution does not explicitly grant anyone or anything the right to bear arms. However, a recent determination by the Office of Administrative Law has apparently given rise to the misconception that it has decided that corporations...

Why "Independent Legal Counsel" Is A Splendid Lie

The 1735 edition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels includes a frontpiece portrait of Capt. Lemuel Gulliver.  Beneath the portrait is a Latin phrase - Splendide Mendax.  This phrase is a snippet from the Roman Poet Horace's Odes (Book III, Poem...

Prominent Amici Urge Reversal Of Court of Chancery Refusal To Grant Preclusive Effect To Prior Rulings

In "Delaware Court of Chancery 'Overrules' Federal Court", I wrote about Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster's ruling Louisiana Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System v. Pyott, C.A. No. 5795-VCL (Del. Ch. June 11, 2012) to allow a derivative...

CA Court Concludes Form 8-K Filing Is Not An "Official Proceeding" - Why It Matters

Companies subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act are required to file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days of the retirement, resignation or termination...

Is The Chairman Of The Board A Corporate Officer?

One of the principal distinctions between corporate officers and directors is that officers have the authority of autonomous action as corporate agents while directors must act collectively.  As discussed in "Worlds In Collision – Agency Law And A...