Bonnie E. Eskenazi

After being called in by the estate of Bob Marley and winning a royalty case against Universal Music Group, Eskenazi was hired by the influential reggae singer's family to be the estate's outside general counsel. Since 2012 she has overseen all of the estate's legal issues, and also represents his son, Ziggy Marley.

One of her more high-profile cases was securing the very first cannabis branding deal, called Marley Natural. "It was difficult to navigate but very rewarding. The marijuana laws are changing every day," said Eskenazi.

The Marley Natural line of marijuana strains, licensed in 2015, is now on sale through a New York startup funded by Silicon Valley.

Meanwhile, Eskenazi continues to litigate high-profile entertainment disputes, regularly handling impactful cases that resonate throughout the entertainment industry. She represents plaintiffs and defendants, primarily focusing on entertainment disputes over issues such as royalties, copyrights, idea theft, defamation, music distribution, and new technology.

A pending case in Connecticut federal court involves the intersection of labor and copyright law, as the writer for the original "Friday the 13th" screenplay seeks termination of the iconic horror film's copyright. The question is whether the writer of the original screenplay, Victor Miller, can claim ownership of the characters and story and terminate the copyright. But since he was a work-for-hire, the rights are held by the owner, in this case Horror Inc., Eskenazi said. Horror Inc. et al. v. Miller, 3:16-cv-01442 (D. Conn., filed Aug. 24, 2016).

"We think there is no question this was work for hire," she said. "He is now claiming there was no employment although he took employment benefits."

As for advice to attorneys starting out, Eskenazi said to impress people out the gate. "Don't give somebody a draft that you are not proud of because your work from the very start speaks for your reputation," she said.

- Justin Kloczko