Alissa Bjerkhoel, a native of Truckee, California received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her J.D. from California Western School of Law in 2008. During law school, Alissa participated as a student in the California Innocence Project. Realizing her passion for assisting the wrongfully convicted, she joined the Project staff upon passing the California State Bar in 2008. She held the position of Supervising Attorney at the California Innocence Project where, in addition to her own case load, she supervised six law students and more than 100 cases each year. Bjerkhoel has served as counsel on numerous criminal cases.
Bjerkhoel has received the Joe & Denise Walsh Excellence in Advocacy Award (2006), Post-Conviction Lawyer of the Year from the Criminal Defense Bar Association of San Diego (2006, joint award), the Hugh P. Chindlund Law School Service Award (2008), the Wiley W. Manuel Award (2007), the Adrianne Baker Fellowship (2010), and was recognized by the San Diego Daily Transcript as a "2011 Young Attorney Finalist.".