Rising Star: Eversheds Sutherland's Maria Todorova

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Rising Star: Eversheds Sutherland's Maria Todorova

By Joshua Rosenberg

Law360 (October 1, 2019, 4:54 PM EDT) -- Maria Todorova has represented Comcast Corp. in a precedent-setting franchise case worth millions of dollars against the Mississippi Department of Revenue, earning her a spot as one of five tax law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360.

WHY SHE BECAME A TAX ATTORNEY: Becoming an attorney was never a question for Todorova. But becoming a tax attorney, let alone one focusing on state and local tax issues, was a different matter altogether.

"Tax was really not in my top three choices, maybe it was not even on my list," she said. She decided to pursue the tax and SALT route specifically after taking a "basic tax law" class from Professor Walter Hellerstein at the University of Georgia School of Law.

"I soon discovered that there was nothing basic about tax," she said. "I was lucky to have a brilliant tax professor who just happens to be the godfather of state and local tax, Professor Hellerstein."

Plus, the technical nature of tax laws, specifically those involving state and local issues, spoke to Todorova's past work as a software developer.

THE BIGGEST CASE OF HER CAREER: One of Todorova's greatest accomplishments was a recent case where she represented Comcast in a franchise dispute worth millions of dollars. She won that precedent-setting case, which involved alternative apportionment issues and implicated the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause. On top of that, she argued the case before a court of general jurisdiction instead of before a tax tribunal.

"It's always tricky explaining such complicated concepts to an adjudicator who doesn't typically practice in the tax space, especially in the state and local tax space,"

she said. In those situations, she employs certain strategies to maximize the effectiveness of her communication.

"When we're in court of general jurisdiction, they're smart, but it's just kind of teaching them all of these concepts, that for some practitioners and for me, it took years to put it all together," she said. "I typically approach it like, 'Would a layman understand what I'm trying to say?' Because you're trying to teach somebody these technical concepts."

WHAT MOTIVATES HER ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS: There are three things that motivate Todorova, in no particular order. First, she's a perfectionist.

"Trying to be the best state tax attorney for my clients and deliver the best product is always driving me forward," she said. "I always seek to work on the most difficult and most challenging cases because I'm always eager to learn new things. Even after practicing state tax [law] for 12 years, I'm still learning every single day."

Second, she believes in the power of mentorship.

"I was lucky enough throughout my career to have great mentors and a great team behind me that have supported me," she said. "I want to pay it forward."

Last, but certainly not least, it's her son and daughter, who are 6 and 8.

"They see me juggling my practice, my family, and being part of their everyday lives," she said. "They see that Mommy is a Rising Star, which is cool. It's important for both boys and girls to see you can do that. They both say, for now, they want to be lawyers when they grow up."

HER PROUDEST MOMENT AS AN ATTORNEY: For Todorova, who is the daughter of Bulgarian immigrants, the journey of becoming a tax attorney and making partner at her firm have been her proudest moments as part of the bar.

"My family immigrated to the United States when I was 18," she said. "My parents believed that my brother and I would have a better future in this country. Seeing the pride in my parents' eyes when I made partner or became an attorney, that's one of my proudest moments."

-- As told to Joshua Rosenberg

Law360's Rising Stars are attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age. A team of Law360 editors selected the 2019 Rising Stars winners after reviewing more than 1,300 submissions. Attorneys had to be under 40 years old as of April 30, 2019, in order to be considered for this year's award. This interview has been edited and condensed.

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