If the in-house legal department at Margaritaville had a dress code, it ought to require flip-flops and Hawaiian shirts emblazoned with colorful parrots. A cool island breeze would perpetually flow through the office, and a frozen concoction would always be at hand. After all, as the company’s patron saint might say, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?
That’s the fantasy version of Kristen Fancher’s job as chief legal officer and general counsel at Margaritaville, the Orlando-based company that manages a brand derived from Jimmy Buffett’s 1970s hit song. In reality, protecting the company’s unique trademark is a serious undertaking, one that Fancher took on full time in November 2014 after representing Margaritaville for 11 years in the entertainment group at Greenberg Traurig.
