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

True Or False? Golden Parachutes Benefit Shareholders

Golden parachute arrangements are often included in discussions of anti-takeover devices.  For example, the late Harold Marsh, Jr. in his magnum opus, Marsh's California Corporation Law, discusses golden parachutes in a section entitled "Defenses of...

The "Usury Permit" - Fact Or Fiction?

The California Constitution covers many things - everything from the right of privacy (Art. I, Sec. 1) to the rate of interest that may be imposed on a loan or forbearance (Art. XV).

The Impact Of The Dodd-Frank Act On California Financial Institutions

Bill Haraf, Commissioner of Financial Institutions, was one of the many witnesses who testified last week at the California legislature's joint informational hearing entitled "The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Initial...

Placement Agent Law Clean-Up Amendments Introduced

As I mentioned in this March 11 posting, Senator Ed Hernandez has introduced a bill, SB 398, that is intended to clean-up some of the many questions arising under legislation, AB 1743, that was enacted last session. In general, AB 1743 requires...

Broker-Dealer Safe Harbor Rule Nears Adoption

In 2007, the California Court of Appeal fired what I called at the time "a shot not heard" when it issued its opinion in People v. Cole, 156 Cal. App. 4th 452 (2007). Seemingly, a key holding of that case was that corporate officers and directors of...

A Leopard Loses His Spots – AB 361 Is Amended

AB 361 (Huffman) started out life as a spot bill (see discussion of "spot bills" in this post).  Assembly Member Jared Huffman has now amended AB 361 to authorize the formation of so-called "benefit corporations". One proponent of AB 361 has told me...

Tune In To Today's Dodd-Frank Act Hearing

The California Assembly Committee on Banking and Finance will be holding a joint informational hearing with the Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions on the Dodd-Frank Act today at 1:30 p.m. (California time). This hearing is likely...

The DOC - Eppur Si Muove!

On April 11, 2011, the California Department of Corporations will be moving its San Francisco office to:

Bill Aims To Add Bite To Federal Conflict Minerals Disclosure Requirement

Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act added a new Section 13(p) to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Section 13(p) requires the SEC to promulgate disclosure and reporting regulations regarding the use of conflict minerals from the Democratic...