It takes brains to become a lawyer. Beauty is required to win pageants. So what can you do with both?

Orly Ahrony: Law student and pageant

contestant.

^{Photo by Robert Benjamin}

If you’re Orly Ahrony, you’re working long hours as a third-year law student at San Diego’s California Western School of Law. And while you’re putting in time with The California Innocence Project, you’re also doing what it takes to be a candidate for the Miss California pageant.

The competition will be held November 22 in Palm Springs.

“Each participant wears a sash that customarily states the name of a city or landmark the person wishes to represent," says Ahrony. "But when they asked me what I wanted my sash to say, I knew I wanted it to be my cause.”

With the consent of pageant officials, she’ll compete under the title of “CA Innocence Project.”

Ahrony got involved with the California Innocence Project (CIP) via a recommendation from her Evidence Advocacy professor at Cal Western. “I had some extra time with my schedule and wanted to use it for something pro-active,” says Ahrony. “Once they started giving me cases to research, not only did I begin getting great experience, I also became passionate and involved with what I was researching.”

The CIP program was formed at Cal Western in 1999. It reviews claims of innocence from state prison inmates. “We get about 1,500 requests a year, and end up working on about 10 percent of those,” says CIP associate director Jeff Chinn. “Not all those cases are taken to court, but presently, our organization has about 20 cases in litigation and 60 cases under full investigation.”

Over time the CIP has reviewed more than 18,000 cases, and exonerated nine innocent individuals who would have spent the rest of their lives in a prison cell. The CIP’s assistance is pro bono. They only accept claims where new, well-built evidence of innocence exists. Conviction must have occurred in the counties of Southern California.

The activities of CIP also go beyond those of law. “We deal with the effects of prison on someone,” says Chinn. The CIP is known to keep close relationships with clients, helping them cope with life outside of prison, filing for state compensation for being wrongfully held and also being there as a friend.

The question for Ahrony: With the late-night cramming for classes, the duties of a law firm internship and the goal of raising awareness for the California Innocence Project, will she be able to also get ready for a state pageant? To prepare for the swimsuit competition, she’s already doing fitness sessions three times a week with a personal trainer.

“Actually, I feel much more efficient with seven to ten things to do,” she says. “It keeps me grounded and organized. People don’t realize how much one person can do. I try to make myself useful in lots of possible avenues.”

Ahrony is confident about what she wants to accomplish with being a part of Miss California. “My goal is to change the way that people view pageants,” she says. “As someone who is dedicated to education, my profession and beauty, it’s so important for me to represent California appropriately, and inspire other women to see it’s possible to make a difference.”

To help raise awareness for CIP, and to help fund her pageant run, Ahrony is hosting an event called Wine, Beauty and Innocence, taking place July 15 at Tango Wine (5-9 p.m.; $25 donation) in Little Italy.