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

Petitioning the Securities and Exchange Commission

The Securities and Exchange Commission makes available on its website information on how members of the public may request that the Commission issue, amend or repeal a rule of general application. Not too many people take advantage of this right....

Some People Enjoy Literary License

In this post from June 4, I asked related how the author known as Lewis Carroll had written Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at the urging of the Alice Liddell, the daughter of the famed lexicographer Henry George Liddell. I ended by noting that...

A Corporation By Another Name May Not Get Filed

Naming a corporation can be an exercise in frustration.  Just when you decide on a name, you find that it's unavailable because someone else has already taken it.  See Naming a Business Is Never Easy in California.

California Disclosure Bill Clears First Legislative Hurdle And DOC Spells "Relief"

This being an even numbered year, last Friday (June 1) was the deadline for each house to pass bills that were introduced in that house. Joint Rule 61(b)(11). Although it was initially close, I was disappointed to see that the Senate passed SB 1208...

Governor's Reorganization Plan Strips DOC Of Enforcement Authority

The Governor's reorganization plan provides for the demotion of the Departments of Corporations and Financial Institutions to the status of divisions within a newly created Department of Business Oversight.  As I discussed in post, the plan is likely...

Business Entity Search Now Available On Your iPhone And iPad

I'm not a big app user on my phone, but there are a few that I like and use. One is Lexiphanes which provides access to the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Dictionary (1924) and Autenrieth's (1889) Homeric Lexicon. There is some humor in this...

Court Declares Bank Trash Talk Statute Facially Unconstitutional

In my October 2010 post "Don't Talk Trash About A California Bank", I discussed Financial Code Section 756 (subsequently reenacted verbatim as Section 1327). That statute generally criminalizes spreading false rumors about a bank. In my post, I...

No Right To Jury Trial: Appellate Court Upholds Binding Mediation Agreement

The California Constitution (Art. I, § 16) guarantees an "inviolate" right to a "trial by jury".  In a civil case, the right to a jury may be waived by "the consent of the parties expressed as prescribed by statute".  Id. The California legislature...

Why No "F" Notice May Be Required When Forming A Subsidiary

Corporations form subsidiaries for a variety of purposes. For example, a corporation may form a subsidiary to acquire or hold specific assets or to engage in a merger or other transaction. The sale of shares to the parent is a sale of securities...