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

Dropping a Dime in California

In this recent post, I wrote about California's employee whistleblower legislation. California Labor Code § 1102.7 requires the California Attorney General to maintain a whistleblower hotline to receive calls from persons who have information...

DOC Broker-Dealer Rule Is On Its Way

The Department of Corporations has completed its rulemaking package for a proposed rule that would establish a non-exclusive safe harbor from California's broker-dealer registration requirement for associated persons of an issuer. The new rule would...

Can Parties Choose Venue in California?

In prior posts, I discussed two unusual California statutes relating to choice-of-law and choice-of-forum provisions in agreements. Choice-of-forum provisions are often confused with choice-of-venue provisions. A choice of forum relates to the place...

California's Whistleblower Hotline

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed rules for implementing the whistleblower provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. That act established a whistleblower program that requires the SEC to pay a bounty to eligible whistleblowers who...

California's Million Dollar Contract Statute

Here's a common "Governing Law" provision:

A Proxy Is Not A Vote And Why It Matters

As discussed in this prior post, the Securities and Exchange Commission recently proposed rule amendments to implement the Dodd-Frank Act's executive compensation advisory votes mandates. Regrettably, the SEC's proposal perpetuates the common...

Can CalPERS Keep a Secret?

Last week, I wrote about Judge Woolard's decision to order the California Public Employees Retirement System to disclose documents to the First Amendment Coalition about a real estate investment. This isn't the first time that CalPERS has tangled...

"Out by the Truckee's Silvery Rills"

To many, October 31 is Halloween but to a few (well, maybe one or two) die-hard traditionalists like me, October 31 is Nevada Day.   As a schoolchild in Nevada, we always looked forward to having the day off from school. 

CalPERS Loses Public Records Act Fight

Three years ago, I petitioned the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) to adopt regulations regarding requests for information pursuant to the California Public Records Act, Government Code § 6250 et seq. The purpose of my request...