Call them the star bar—an exclusive cadre of litigators who represent celebrities.

Movie stars, musicians and other entertainers, for the most part, are “just people with the same feelings and concerns” as regular mortals, said Bonnie Eskenazi, a partner at Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger. The 100-lawyer Los Angeles-based firm's clients have included Tom Cruise, Madonna, James Cameron, Warren Beatty and Marlon Brando.

But stars' problems tend to be a bit different. Whether litigation involves breach of contract, torts, intellectual property or invasion of privacy, the overriding question, she said, is this: “How do you protect a person's talent? It's different than protecting a widget or a golf course.”