Sydney-based Dr Malek Roosa weathers political challenges in her drive to provide access to justice
Dr Danielle Malek Roosa knew the value of a career in law from a young age. She went on to pursue the path with gusto, becoming one of the inaugural John Monash scholars in 2004 and obtaining her masters of laws from Harvard.
Roosa joined the World Bank after graduating, where she remains to this day as a senior legal counsel. Even though her workplace in Washington DC is located on the other side of the planet from where she resides in Sydney, she has made it work by telecommuting to Washington at three in the morning in order to help provide access to justice to people all over the world.
In this interview, Roosa talks navigating political landscapes in her work, guiding the World Bank response to COVID-19 and how going back to the office should not be a “business as usual” deal.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
Law always appealed to me, and it was one of many careers I considered during my school years. As a young student, I felt it was important to understand and be able to use the body of knowledge that regulated our lives so distinctly, and I saw studying law as giving me a chance to be part of that conversation.
My favourite part of being a lawyer is dealing with people and making a real difference to people’s lives. As a development professional, and as someone who has worked in “public law” all my life, it’s important to me that the work I do contributes to bringing opportunities to people, making lives more enriched and helping people try to access justice and equity in their daily lives.
What is the most memorable case you've taken on/been involved in?
As an operational lawyer with the World Bank, I’ve worked across all regions of the world. Each country brings with it its own challenges and rewards, though two memorable projects come to mind. The first was assisting the governments of Switzerland and the United States to repatriate over US$100m in “stolen assets” to a member country so that the proceeds of corruption could be used by the very poorest. We worked closely with lawyers from all the countries involved and also development professionals to ensure that the funds were not siphoned away from those who needed them most.
I also worked as the Bank’s operational lawyer for Egypt, Yemen and Libya during the Arab spring, which involved quite a few negotiations in-country. The political climate certainly heightened the need for change and the demands of the people for change and we worked hard to design projects that could help provide the necessary conditions to make that happen.
What is going on at the organisation? Are there any new programs and initiatives that you’re particularly interested in?
COVID-19 has heightened the need for Bank support, both in terms of the economic need and in terms of the strain the pandemic has placed upon members’ health care systems, education systems and social services. The World Bank is responding by making available up to $160bn in financing tailored to the health, economic and social shocks countries are facing, including $50bn on highly concessional terms. Some of this will go to ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries but the World Bank Group’s response is broader than this alone and is looking to ensure countries are able to build inclusive, and sustainable economies that are resilient to pandemics, climate change and other threats.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in the last year or so?
The World Bank Group has recently undergone its largest-ever capital increase. Through the subscription of our shareholders (member countries) in these shares, we generated $7.5bn paid-in capital for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and $5.5bn paid-in capital for International Finance Corporation, as well as a $52.6bn callable capital increase for IBRD. I provided advice to our boards on this capital increase and drafted the necessary resolutions.
Obviously, an undertaking of this side has a political element, so it was fascinating working with colleagues to navigate the political landscape that would allow such a capital increase to happen. Of course, when the capital increase was passed, we could not have specifically predicted that these additional funds would be needed so soon to deal with a global pandemic, but the forethought of our management and our shareholders has put us in a strong position to respond to the current crisis.
What should the profession and organisations focus more on, particularly with regard to in-house lawyers?
I believe the workforce, and the legal workforce, is forever changed by the pandemic, and employers need to rethink the value proposition they provide to their staff in terms of work flexibility and work/life balance. Young, smart lawyers will expect as much and a return to the office should not also be “business as usual.” We need to rethink how digital approaches can assist us in our work, how we can manage our portfolios and clients through digital or remote means, and how we can streamline our business processes.
What are the challenges you expect in your practice, and in the business of law in general, going forward? What challenges are particularly pressing in the country’s legal industry?
Obviously, as a lawyer with the World Bank, the “challenges” we face with our clients (our member countries) are different to those lawyers may face in their daily work as an in-house lawyer or as part of a firm. At the Bank, we are working to make sure we can continue to support our clients through the pandemic and through other “future shocks,” and part of that is to make sure there is a suspension of debt where needed and that their economies are made more resilient to these crises.
For a shareholder-led institution such as the World Bank, this will also mean working through political challenges to ensure consensus on projects and policies to make this happen. As lawyers, we work to identify the risks that can thwart that progress and to suggest a sensible way forward.
What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
Currently, I telecommute to Washington DC, but with the border restrictions in place, I have not had the opportunity to travel back to the US to meet face-to-face with my colleagues for over a year. I look forward to seeing them again “in the flesh.”
Many have relatives in countries much affected by the pandemic. I look forward to hearing about their experiences and how they have fared during this pandemic.
