Greenberg Glusker today announced that entertainment litigator Bonnie E. Eskenazi has been named California Entertainment Lawyer of the Year by The Recorder, the San Francisco-based legal publication, in the inaugural year of its "Attorneys of the Year" program.
"The media now recognizes what we have known for years--Bonnie is one of the top entertainment attorneys in the business," said Greenberg Glusker Managing Partner Norman H. Levine. "We have long been inspired by her accomplishments."
To launch what is expected to be an annual event, The Recorder selected 16 California-based lawyers who stood out for high-profile achievements in 2009. Ms. Eskenazi, one of only three women chosen, was recognized for representing the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien in a landmark profit participation case against New Line Cinema. In that action, the Tolkien Family sued for damages in excess of $150 million. Last year, Ms. Eskenazi successfully engineered a settlement for her clients, which paved the way for the Tolkien Family’s charitable trust to provide significant financial support to charities around the world, including the Haitian relief effort.
Ms. Eskenazi has earned a reputation for tenacious and innovative client advocacy in litigation and transactional representation in the creative community. She has played a leading role in such high-profile Hollywood matters as Jeffrey Katzenberg’s lawsuit against The Walt Disney Co., the defeat of convicted murderer Jesse James Hollywood’s request for a preliminary injunction against the film "Alpha Dog," and in successfully obtaining the return of the characters’ rights of "Alvin & The Chipmunks" from Universal Studios to its original owners.
Ms. Eskenazi also represents such clients as CBS, Marvel Entertainment and classical music superstars Renee Fleming and Joshua Bell.
Ms. Eskenazi is also listed on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of "Power Lawyer." She is also named by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of "California’s Top 75 Women Litigators," by the Los Angeles Business Journal as "The Best of the Bar," by Los Angeles Magazine as a "Super Lawyer" and by Chambers & Partners’ as one of America’s leading business lawyers. Ms. Eskenazi also carries the highest peer-review rating, "AV," by Martindale-Hubbell.
In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Eskenazi maintains an active transactional practice. Her counsel to many clients in the music industry reflects her personal passion for music. She serves on the board of the Festival of New American Musicals, which highlights and celebrates the American Musical as an art form by spotlighting new musicals written by famous and promising composers.
Ms. Eskenazi is a member of Greenberg Glusker’s management committee and serves as a lecturer on entertainment law at Stanford Law School. She earned her J.D. from Stanford University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, where she was Phi Beta Kappa. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Donald B. King, First District Court of Appeal, 1985-1996.