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

CalPERS Notices Changes To Proposed Personal Trading Rules

Last month, I wrote that the California Public Employees Retirement System had proposed personal trading regulations. Due to a glitch at CalPERS, I (and possibly others) did not receive notice of the proposed rulemaking prior to the end of the...

Some Important Bills To Watch Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the Assembly Judiciary Committee will hear several important bills that passed out of the Senate:

Are REITS Investment Advisers?

A REIT is an acronym for Real Estate Investment Trust, although the term more properly refers to tax status than a specific entity type.  For a variety of reasons, a REIT may involve several different types of entities.  The raison d'être of REITS is...

When Signing As Agent Can Lead To Personal Liability

In the transactional setting, lawyers are often concerned with confirming the authority of corporate officers and other agents to bind the corporation. Thus, we often see representations and warranties of due authorization and execution and legal...

Sale-Leaseback Transactions And The Finance Lenders Law

The California Finance Lenders Law generally requires that persons "engaged in the business of making consumer loans or making commercial loans" be licensed, unless exempt. Cal. Fin. Code §§ 22100(a) and 22009. The business of making consumer loans...

Court of Appeals Finds SEC's Analysis "was not just superficial, it was nonexistent."

Yesterday, I wrote about a strategy of not showing up to prevent a quorum from being established at an annual meeting of stockholders. What happens when the Securities and Exchange Commission initiates administrative proceedings against you and you...

When The Best Offensive Strategy May Simply Be To Stay Home

While I enjoy studying and thinking about game theory problems, I find that it is often difficult (at least for me) to apply it to "real world" corporate situations. Defining the game, the rules and strategies just seems so much more complicated...

Introducing the ARR Ratio

On Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a rule requiring the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to prohibit the listing of any equity security of an issuer that is not in compliance with the...

District Court Refuses To Apply Business Judgment Rule To Claims Against Officers

Since 2008, a total of 38 banks have failed in California (See this list of failed banks). When this happens, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation acts as receiver for the bank. Since the FDIC is also an insurer of the failed bank's deposits,...