By day, Mara Lejins argues cases as a barrister at 12th Floor Chambers in Sydney after years as a prosecutor. On television, she’s “The Smiling Assassin,” one of the quiz chasers on The Chase Australia, calmly taking down contestants with a grin.
Full name: Mara Lejins ·
Age: 30 (born 11 April 1995) ·
Nationality: Australian ·
Profession: Barrister and quiz show chaser ·
Years active on The Chase Australia: since 2022
Quick snapshot
- Australian, born 11 April 1995 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
- Barrister at 12th Floor Chambers (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- Admitted as solicitor in 2019, called to the Bar in 2026 (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- Law degree from Australian National University (Canberra Daily (local news))
- Joined The Chase Australia in 2022 (TV Blackbox (media outlet))
- Exact salary from The Chase Australia – not publicly disclosed
- Whether chasers get paid if they lose – no official confirmation
- Marital status and husband’s identity – not publicly confirmed
- Whether she has children – no information available
- Net worth and IQ – not published by any verified source
- 2019 – Admitted as solicitor (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- 2022 – Joined The Chase Australia (TV Blackbox (media outlet))
- 2026 – Called to the Bar (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- 2020 – Won $58,000 on Beat The Chasers Australia (Region Canberra (local news))
- Continue dual career as barrister and chaser
- Potential further TV appearances – no announcement
- No public indication of career change
Mara Lejins’s key biographical details, drawn from verified sources, tell a story of a dual career in law and television.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mara Lejins |
| Date of birth | 11 April 1995 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Barrister, television personality |
| Education | Australian National University |
| TV show | The Chase Australia |
| Nickname on show | The Smiling Assassin, Goliath |
| Year joined Chase | 2022 |
| Bar admission | 2026 |
| Email contact | mara@maralejins.com.au |
What nationality is Mara from The Chase?
Mara Lejins is Australian. She was born on 11 April 1995 in Australia (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)). A profile from Region Canberra (local news) notes that she was born and raised in Sydney but has deep connections to Canberra. She represents Australia as a Chaser on The Chase Australia.
Mara Lejins is a homegrown Australian talent, and her national identity is one of the few facts about her personal life that is publicly confirmed without ambiguity.
What does Mara from The Chase do for a living?
Mara Lejins is a barrister at 12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory) in Sydney, having been called to the Bar in May 2026. Before that, she worked as a Senior Solicitor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW), handling criminal prosecutions.
Mara Lejins legal career
- Admitted as a solicitor in 2019 (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- Worked as prosecutor for the DPP (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- Called to the Bar in 2026 (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
She also appears on The Chase Australia as a Chaser, a role she has held since 2022 (TV Blackbox (media outlet)). Her nickname “The Smiling Assassin” reflects her calm demeanour while taking down contestants.
What this means: Lejins is one of the few Australian television personalities who simultaneously holds a practicing barrister’s certificate, a rare combination of courtroom advocacy and prime-time entertainment.
How old is Mara on The Chaser?
Mara Lejins is 30 years old as of 2025, born on 11 April 1995 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)). She was 27 when she joined The Chase Australia in 2022, making her the youngest Chaser on the show at that time (TV Blackbox (media outlet)).
Mara Lejins age and birthday
- Born: 11 April 1995
- Age in 2025: 30
- Youngest Chaser on The Chase Australia at debut
The pattern: Her relatively young age for a barrister and a TV chaser highlights the speed of her career progression in both fields.
Where did Mara Lejins study?
Mara Lejins studied law and international relations at the Australian National University (ANU) from 2014 to 2018, graduating with honours (Canberra Daily (local news)). She spent five years in Canberra while studying and lived at Bruce Hall (Canberra Daily (local news)). Her parents met at ANU, giving her a family connection to the university.
- Degree: Laws (Honours) and International Relations
- Institution: Australian National University
- Years: 2014–2018
- Admitted to practice: 2019
Why this matters: ANU is one of Australia’s top universities, and Lejins’s law degree provided the foundation for her legal career, which she later combined with her television work.
How much do the chasers get paid on The Chase Australia?
No official salary figures for The Chase Australia chasers have been released. Lejins’s compensation is not publicly disclosed, and there is no confirmation on whether chasers receive payment if they lose a round. Speculation exists online, but no verified source – including the show’s production company or the chasers themselves – has provided details.
Without an official contract or public statement, any figure cited for chaser salaries is pure guesswork. The show’s producers have not published a pay scale, and Lejins’s own website and professional profiles do not mention compensation.
The trade-off: For viewers curious about the business side of quiz television, the lack of transparency means that chaser pay remains one of the biggest unanswered questions about the show.
Which chaser has lost the most money?
There is no official ranking of which Chaser on The Chase Australia has lost the most money. While viewer speculation exists, the show does not publish cumulative loss records. Mara Lejins, known as “The Smiling Assassin” and “Goliath”, has not had her individual loss total publicly tallied (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- Notable chasers: Goliath (Mara Lejins), The Smiling Assassin (same person)
- No official loss record ranked by total
- Viewer speculation is the only source
What remains unclear: Without an official statistic, it’s impossible to say which chaser has lost the most. The show’s format does not typically publish individual chaser loss data.
Mara Lejins personal life: husband, children, net worth
Mara Lejins keeps her personal life private. She has not publicly confirmed her marital status, and there is no information about a husband or children. Her net worth has not been disclosed, and her IQ is not officially published. The only public contact information is her professional email: mara@maralejins.com.au.
- Marital status: not publicly known
- Children: none reported
- Net worth: not disclosed
- IQ: not officially published
The implication: For a public figure with a growing television profile, Lejins maintains an unusually high level of privacy around her personal life, leaving fans with only her professional and on-screen persona.
Timeline of Mara Lejins’s career
- 11 April 1995 – Born in Australia
- 2014–2018 – Studied law and international relations at ANU
- 2019 – Admitted as a solicitor (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
- 2020 – Won $58,000 as a contestant on Beat The Chasers Australia (Region Canberra (local news))
- 8 August 2022 – First appearance as a Chaser on The Chase Australia (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
- 2026 – Called to the Bar, began practice at 12th Floor Chambers (12th Floor Chambers (barrister directory))
Confirmed facts vs. What’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Mara Lejins is Australian (born 11 April 1995)
- She is a barrister at 12th Floor Chambers
- Admitted as solicitor in 2019 and called to Bar in 2026
- Has a law degree from Australian National University
- Joined The Chase Australia in 2022
- Public email: mara@maralejins.com.au
What’s unclear
- Exact salary from The Chase Australia
- Whether chasers get paid if they lose
- Marital status and husband’s identity
- Whether she has children
- Net worth and IQ score
- Official Wikipedia page existence
In her own words
“I only smile when I’m trying to take down contestants, that’s why I’m always smiling.”
Mara Lejins, explaining her nickname “The Smiling Assassin” (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
“Everyone’s mum loves The Chase – but this quiz has unexpected fans too.”
Mara Lejins, Instagram bio
For Australian viewers, the dual career of Mara Lejins offers a rare look at a professional who balances courtroom arguments with prime-time quizzes. Whether she continues to rise in both fields remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: she’s not just a smiling assassin, but a serious legal mind.
Related reading: The Smiling Assassin: Mara Lejins joins The Chase Australia · Mara Lejins – 12th Floor Chambers Barrister Profile
the-chase.fandom.com, linkedin.com, wikiake.com, briefexchange.buzzsprout.com, imdb.com, shows.acast.com, lsj.com.au
Frequently asked questions
Does Mara Lejins have a Wikipedia page?
She does not have a standalone Wikipedia article; the existing page is a fan wiki entry. Verified biographical information is available from her barrister profile and local news sources.
What is Mara Lejins IQ?
Her IQ has not been publicly disclosed or verified by any credible source.
How tall is Mara Lejins?
Her height is not publicly documented.
What law did Mara Lejins study?
She studied law and international relations at the Australian National University, graduating with honours.
Does Mara Lejins have kids?
There is no public information suggesting she has children.
Where did Mara Lejins go to college?
She attended the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
Is Mara Lejins the youngest chaser?
Yes, she was the youngest Chaser on The Chase Australia when she joined at age 27.
James Mitchell is Editor-in-Chief at Southern Focus, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.