Networking Proves Invaluable at INTA Event

In May, Moira Sullivan, JD ’26 was one of several current UNH Franklin Pierce students and recent graduates to attend the International Trademark Association (INTA) Annual Meeting in San Diego. For Sullivan, who also attended the 2024 meeting in Atlanta, the event has become a highlight of the spring. 

“It’s become one of my favorite ways to wrap up the semester,” says Sullivan, a native of Port Chester, New York. “It’s an invaluable experience, both professionally and personally. The best part of INTA is making new connections and reconnecting with people I’ve met at past events.” 

Among the highlights for Sullivan in 2025 were the panels (including “Navigating the Right of Publicity in the Age of AI”) and the UNH Franklin Pierce alumni reception, which hosted about 200 attendees. Her attendance at the INTA Annual Meeting also led to a job opportunity. In 2024, she connected with Jane Shershenovich, MICT ’98 and ended up working for the alumna at Novavax throughout her 2L year. This past summer, Sullivan worked at Calvin Klein with Dawn Atlas, JD ’95, whom she met by taking Atlas’s fashion law course at UNH Franklin Pierce’s Intellectual Property Summer Institute.  

“The alumni network at UNHFP, both through INTA and beyond, has been incredibly supportive and welcoming,” Sullivan says. “It’s important for future students to see that networking can be enjoyable and that professional involvement doesn’t have to be limited to campus organizations. Getting involved in external organizations like INTA [and others] can help you explore different areas of law and build meaningful connections. These groups offer both practical resources and access to a broader legal community that can support you throughout your career.” 

Although she was juggling work duties during the 2025 Annual Meeting, Tongyao Su, MIP ’25, JD ’26 was able to find time for networking with clients from her home firm of Wanhuida Intellectual Property and connect with attendees working on cutting-edge trademark issues. While in San Diego, Su was connected to a summer externship position at an IP law firm in Seattle, which she began in June. 

Recent graduate Kat Welch, JD ’24 was named a 2024-25 INTA Rising Star, a selective honor recognizing her as an emerging leader in the field. Welch has attended INTA’s Annual Meeting four times, first as a student and most recently as an attorney. She values the networking opportunities, professional development, and international scope of the organization. A highlight of the recent meeting was interacting with global customs professionals to learn about anti-counterfeit efforts. 

“I cannot emphasize enough the connections I have made [through INTA],” says Welch, who recently finished her first year as a trademark attorney at Husch Blackwell in St. Louis. “I now speak regularly to in-house council at huge companies just to catch up with them, and they’re all people I met through INTA.” 

A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Andrés Rodríguez, LLM ’24 chose UNH Franklin Pierce to pursue his master’s because of the law school’s reputation as one of the leading IP programs in the world. “UNH Franklin Pierce is also an academic partner of organizations such as INTA and ASIPI (Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property), which opens valuable doors for global networking and professional growth.” 

After attending his first INTA Annual Meeting, Rodríguez landed a five-month internship within the organization, which allowed him to gain deeper insight into INTA’s pivotal role in shaping global IP policy. Rodríguez also has appreciated the UNH Franklin Pierce presence at the INTA event, noting that it “reinforces [the school’s] commitment to fostering long-term relationships with its graduates and supporting their continued success.”   

Beyond the sessions, Rodríguez adds, the INTA Annual Meeting offers an important opportunity to connect with more than 10,000 professionals from around the world, exchange best practices, and build meaningful relationships that fuel the growth of IP practice. 

The meeting has led to friendships for UNH Franklin Pierce graduates, both within the alumni network and beyond. After attending the INTA Annual Meeting for her fourth time, Welch adds, “It’s transformed from being just networking. I’m also seeing people who are friends and clients, people who are hardworking, intelligent, and have become my friends over the years.” 

Dean Megan Carpenter says she is proud of the law school’s relationship with INTA, noting that UNH Franklin Pierce prepares students to not only think like lawyers, but to become successful practitioners on a global stage. “Building a professional network is paramount to this effort,” Carpenter says. “UNH Franklin Pierce and INTA both focus on developing global networks of IP professionals and engaging in thought leadership and education on contemporary legal issues in the IP space. This connection is invaluable in preparing our students for successful careers in the field of intellectual property law, and to help them thrive both as lawyers and professionals.”