Malia started her legal career at a mid-sized law firm and Bank of America, focusing on finance, compliance, and bankruptcy proceedings.

In law school, she served as a student attorney for the Consumer Financial Transactions Clinic, where she was the primary attorney assigned to ongoing litigation of consumer mortgage fraud.

Malia also previously served on the North Carolina Attorney General’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, where she researched and delivered policy proposals for the NC Governor on sentencing and prison reform.