Eager but naïve, Maria is keen to prove herself both as a lawyer and a woman. She is very smart and driven by her hunger to get on, but she is also impressionable. She cannot escape the fact that her youthful vigor and desire to please can get her into trouble.

Despite being hired by Stephen for her intelligence, Maria struggles with being a young, very attractive woman in a male-dominated environment.

She has to learn to toughen up if she is to last more than a day as a qualified lawyer. She looks to Stephen for guidance and enjoys the luxury of his tutelage.

Stephen and she are very close, and their relationship could easily be misinterpreted as something more meaningful than simply mentor and protégée. Maria has much to learn, both about herself and about being a lawyer.