Barings Law proud to promote paralegals from within

Barings Law are proud to announce two of the firm’s brightest rising stars taking the next step to fulfilling their ambitions with trainee solicitor contracts.
The contracts are just reward for the progress of two former paralegals, who have worked diligently since joining the firm, and represents the next step as both aspire to be solicitors.
Maria Rezanova and Ana Santos Tilve were chosen as the firm’s newest trainees, following a rigorous selection process that included stern competition from numerous strong candidates.
To qualify the pair will undergo a two-year training period, under the guidance of our existing solicitors, continuing their previous work as paralegals and gaining the knowledge and experience to represent clients in court.

Maria, originally from Estonia, came to study in the UK at the age of 16. She joined Barings Law in 2022 following her graduation from the University of Law in Leeds. She is a key member of the Business Interruption claims team but, during her training period, will work on a range of claim types. In the future she is looking to focus on immigration cases and banking claims, as well as cases involving wills and taxation.

Her interest in law started at the age of just six, when she discovered a book on human rights in her local library, one that she borrowed and reread time and again. Her aptitude for contract law was further bolstered by curiosity during her formative years. It stemmed from a dispute between her parents and their builder when Maria was only around 13. Out of boredom, she decided to read through the terms of their contract and actually found a clause that proved without doubt her parents’ case.

Maria played tennis at semi-professional level in her home country and is taking a significant step in swapping the tennis court for legal courtrooms. She is the first member of her family to pursue a legal career, and the first to attend university as her father is a retired fishing boat captain and her mother’s working life was in HR and accountancy.

By contrast, Ana was inspired to become a solicitor by her mother Rosa, a lawyer in her native Spain. Attracted to the legal profession by its dynamism and the life skills a career in the courts can provide, Ana came to the UK in 2018, studying in Sheffield. Following her graduation in International and European Law, she moved to Manchester, and a position with Barings Law, last year.

A ballerina as a child, Ana competed in rhythmic gymnastics at national level back in Spain as well as artistic gymnastics, as performed by her ‘second’ role model, Olympic legend Simone Biles.
Driven by a desire to fight for justice on others’ behalf, Ana is a diligent member of our data breach claims team, and she also lends her expertise to immigration cases. Her two-year training period will see her branch out into other areas of law, including personal injury and business interruption insurance.

Barings managing director Craig Cooper said: “Ana and Maria are diligent workers, each is highly intelligent and skilled with an excellent grasp of the areas of law in which they have worked during their time with us.

“Both impressed throughout a robust selection process that was filled with candidates who all showed great potential. They have displayed great aptitude throughout their time at Barings Law and both are deserving of training contracts.
“We fully expect Ana and Maria to excel throughout their training period, when they will work on a variety of areas of law under the tutelage of experienced colleagues.
“We have high expectations for our newest trainees but we are hugely confident in their abilities and I look forward to seeing how they progress.”