Jessica has practiced copyright, trademark, literary property and licensing law in New York City since 1989.   In her former life as a litigator she represented the plaintiffs in Childress v. Taylor, 945 F.2d 500 (2d Cir. 1991) (joint works) and Branch v. Ogilvy & Mather, 16 U.S.P.Q. 2d 1179 (S.D.N.Y. 1990) (total look and feel), and defendant Houghton Mifflin in Eisen, Durwood & Co., Inc. v. Tolkien, 794 F. Supp. 85 (S.D.N.Y. 1992), aff'd, 990 F.2d 623 (2d Cir. 1993), which held that the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy had not fallen into the public domain in the United States.  Currently, she counsels companies in a wide range of businesses, as well as authors and other creators, about all kinds of copyright issues, including fair use, work for hire, joint works, derivative works, and termination, and she negotiates and drafts all types of copyright licenses from software licenses to book publishing agreements.  Jessica handles intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions, counsels clients concerning infringement litigation, conducts pre-publication reviews, and handles other matters that relate to defamation, invasion of privacy, rights of publicity, and advertising and marketing. 

In the trademark context, Jessica helps her business clients choose, clear and use trademarks, service marks, and Internet domain names; drafts and negotiates licensing agreements; and advises clients concerning claims of infringement, dilution, and unfair competition.  She prepares and prosecutes federal trademark and service-mark applications and renewals; represents clients in proceedings in the U.S. Trademark Office; and counsels clients concerning trademark and trade-dress infringement litigation. 

Jessica has lectured and chaired panels on intellectual property, publishing and new media issues at the Practicing Law Institute’s Advanced Copyright Seminar, New York University School of Law, The New York City Bar Association, Hofstra University Law School, New York University's Master's Program in Magazine Publishing, the Small Press Center (New York City), and the New York State Bar Association's Literary Property Committee, as well as at various publishing and new media conferences, and she has published over 20 articles on those subjects.  Jessica is an active member of the New York City Bar Association, where she has served on the Copyright and Literary Property Committee, the Information Technology Law Committee, the Entertainment Law Committee, and the Ad Hoc Information Superhighway Working Group. She is also a member of the Committee on Literary Works and Related Rights of the Entertainment Section of the New York State Bar Association, a member of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., and an associate member of the Authors’ Guild. 

Jessica graduated in 1984 from Yale Law School and in 1981 from Princeton University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) where she won the Walter Phelps Hall Prize for her senior thesis in the field of Renaissance history.