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

Does A California Corporation Have The Power To Indemnify Corporate Employee Benefit Plan Fiduciaries?

Section 317 of the California Corporations Code authorizes, limits and  in one circumstance even mandates the indemnification of a person by reason of the fact that the person is, or was, an "agent" of the corporation.   The statute defines "agent" as "

Are Religious Corporations Constitutional?

Like Gaul, the California Nonprofit Corporation Law has three major parts ("Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres'). These three parts govern the formation and operation of three different types of nonprofit corporations: public benefit (Part 2),...

Court Finds No Right To Prejudgment Interest In Buy-Out Of Shares

Section 1800 of the California Corporations Code authorizes specified persons to file a complaint for involuntary dissolution of the corporation based on specified grounds. Section 2000 provides an "escape hatch" by which involuntary dissolution may...

DFPI Charges Digital Asset Company With More Than 50,000 CFL Violations

Yesterday's post concerned a bill pending in the California legislature that would impose a licensing requirement on persons engaging in "digital financial asset business activity", or holding itself out as being able to engage in "digital financial...

California Bill Would Regulate Digital Financial Assets, But Leaves Status Under Securities Laws Unanswered

In June, I reported that Assemblymember Grayson had gutted and amended AB 2269 to establish a "Digital Financial Assets Law" to be administered by the Department of Financial Protection & Innovation. The bill was amended earlier this week to, among...

Is Alter Ego Coming To A City Or Town Near You?

Historically, the alter ego doctrine has been applied to hold a shareholder or shareholders liable for the claims made against the corporation. In general, two requirements must be met for the doctrine to be applied. First, there must be such a...

Could California Bill Result In Discipline Of C.D.C. Doctors?

A California bill, AB 2098 (Low), appears to be moving towards passage in the next two weeks. The bill would make the spreading of misinformation, as defined, or disinformation related to COVID-19, including false or misleading information regarding...

Supreme Court's Decision In Famous Hale & Norcross Mining Case

Having read Professor Stephen Bainbridge's post about the origins of the judicial doctrine that directors must act on an informed basis, I passed along a reference to the California Supreme Court's in Fox v. Hale & Norcross Silver Mining Co., 108...

Court Of Appeal Agrees $280 Pizza Oven Is Not A "Thing Of Value"

Not too long ago, the Third District Court of Appeal held that a bumblebee is a fish.  This week, the Third District Court of Appeal concluded that a pizza oven is not a "thing of value".  Dep't of Alcoholic Beverage Control v. Alcoholic Beverage...