UNH Law's IP Reputation Won Over 3L Cassandra Mirarchi
What is your name, year, and degree program?
A: My name is Cassandra Mirarchi, and I am a 3L residential JD student.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am from Oreland, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.
Q: What education and work experience did you have before coming to law school?
A: I went to Seton Hall University, where I majored in chemistry and religion and minored in applied mathematics and legal studies. At Seton Hall, I was in the University Honors Program and the Buccino Leadership Institute, and I worked as a student researcher in Dr. Nicholas Snow鈥檚 analytical chemistry lab and as a teaching lab preparatory worker under Dr. Cosimo Antonacci, who sparked my interest in law school. I also TA鈥檇 organic chemistry and analytical chemistry, and stage managed several theater productions. I came to law school right after graduating from college.
Q: What has been your involvement on campus and in the community?
A: This semester, I am completing a part-time residency at the New Hampshire Supreme Court in Justice Bryan K. Gould鈥檚 chambers.
On campus, I am the Managing Editor of the 第一吃瓜 Law Review, and I serve as Chief Justice of our moot court program, overseeing our five competitive teams. This year I had the opportunity to organize and run our annual moot court intramural competition with many local judges and attorneys.
Last year, I competed with our health law moot court team at the National Health Law Moot Court Competition in Illinois, placing tenth overall as a team and ninth individually, and I also placed first at UNHFP鈥檚 2024 intramural competition.
Throughout law school, I have been a student worker for the departments of Student Life, Marketing & Communications, and Admissions. For student life, I got to plan events for the student body like Donuts with the Deans, de-stressing events for exam seasons with Charlee the comfort dog, and holiday celebrations.
I have also previously served as president of the Patent Law Forum and of our chapter of the Christian Legal Society (CLS), and I have been involved with the Student Bar Association through both committees and appointed positions. Off campus, I volunteer twice a week at a local food pantry.
Q: What has been your favorite class or professor so far?
A: Two of my favorite classes have been Patent Practice and Procedure with Professor Mathaisel, and Statutory Interpretation with Judge Laplante. Both are very practical classes taught by adjunct professors with lots of real-world experience. Especially in Professor Mathaisel鈥檚 class, the assignments and coursework mirrored real practice.
I also enjoyed Drug Law with Professor Dube. I am very interested in pharmaceutical law because of my background in chemistry, and Professor Dube makes niche and technical subject areas approachable and engaging.
Q: What鈥檚 your favorite activity/hobby outside of school?
A: In the summer and fall I try to go hiking every weekend, weather permitting. My favorite hike I鈥檝e done has been Franconia Ridge, and I also love Mount Cardigan and Mount Pemigewasset if you鈥檙e looking for something more approachable! I also love baking, and my roommates and I make Christmas cookie boxes for our neighbors every December.
Q: What is a project or initiative you're currently working on?
A: With Easter approaching soon, I am helping to coordinate the annual Easter meal program between CLS and the in Penacook.
I began volunteering with the pantry in the fall of my 1L year. That spring, I was looking for community service opportunities for CLS, and I had the idea to create an Easter meal initiative at the pantry like their existing Thanksgiving meal program. With the generosity of our students and the parish, we were able to provide meals for over 60 people that year.
The program has now become an annual tradition, and we established a partnership between CLS and the pantry to support both the Thanksgiving and Easter meal initiatives. Last year we served over 70 people, and this year I hope to increase our reach and create procedures to ensure the program鈥檚 longevity after I graduate.
Q: Tell us about your summer internships and postgrad plans!
A: After my 1L year, I participated in a unique internship program through where I spent 5 weeks in their NYC office working on both patent litigation and prosecution matters, and 5 weeks at , a pharmaceutical company headquartered in New Jersey,鈥痺ith their in-house patent prosecution team.
For my 2L summer, I joined , an IP litigation firm, in their NYC office as a summer associate. I am excited to rejoin the firm as an associate this fall after I graduate and take the New York bar exam.
Q: Why UNH Franklin Pierce?
A: I chose UNHFP because of its reputation in intellectual property, especially patent law. We have alumni practicing IP law throughout the country, which was important to me because I wanted geographic flexibility post-grad.
I also love the smaller class size here at the law school, which has allowed me to get to know my peers and feel involved in the community. Being New Hampshire鈥檚 only law school, judges and attorneys here are very involved on campus as well, and the local community has been super welcoming.
