2022 Up & Coming Attorneys: Caroline L. Marsili

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Carlson Caspers Vandenburgh & Lindquist, PA The path to a law practice can be a long and winding road sometimes.

“As an undergrad, I thought I wanted to go to medical school. After college, I taught English abroad for a couple of years and applied for law school. I sort of knew that’s the way I would go” said Caroline Marsili, attorney at Carlson Caspers Vandenburgh & Lindquist, PA.

Now a senior associate, Marsili has stood out at Carlson Caspers by building — more or less — from scratch, a trademark prosecution practice. The firm traditionally concentrates on IP litigation and counseling, but Marsili began taking on clients pro bono to learn the ins and out of trademark prosecution.

“My background is in biology and chemistry, so I went to law school with the hope of practicing in intellectual property in the sciences,” she said. “So far, I’ve been able to transfer that to other areas.”

Now Marsili works on matters involving a variety of technologies and industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices and telecommunications.

One of her most memorable cases involved pharmaceutical litigation.

“I loved being involved every step of the way, working with some attorneys who have become my mentors at the firm,” she said. We ended up having a big win at the district court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and later the federal Circuit Court of Appeals.”

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, Marsili has also worked on T.T.A.B. opposition hearings — specialized proceedings where the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board determines whether one trademark application violates another’s rights.

Marsili also was a founding member of Carlson Caspers’ diversity and inclusion committee, as well as the firm’s captain for the Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid’s One Hour of Sharing campaign for several years.

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