Barings Law proud to promote paralegal from within

Barings Law is proud to announce that one of the firm’s brightest rising stars is taking the next step to fulfilling her ambitions with a trainee solicitor contract.

The contract is just reward for the progress of a former paralegal, who has worked diligently since joining the firm, and represents the next step in her aspiration to become a solicitor.
Maria Rezanova has been selected as the firm’s newest trainee, following a rigorous selection process that included stern competition from numerous strong candidates.
To qualify as a solicitor, something she has worked towards for many years, she will undergo a two-year training period, under the guidance of our existing solicitors, continuing her previous work as one of the firm’s leading 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 years old. 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.

Barings managing director Craig Cooper said: “Maria is a diligent worker, highly intelligent and skilled with an excellent grasp of the areas of law in which she has worked during her time with us.

“She impressed throughout a robust selection process that was filled with candidates who all showed great potential. Maria has displayed great aptitude throughout her time at Barings Law and she is fully deserving of a training contract.
“We fully expect Maria to excel throughout her training period, when she will work on a variety of areas of law under the tutelage of experienced colleagues.
“We have high expectations for our newest trainee but we are hugely confident in her abilities and I look forward to seeing how she progresses.”