Bjerkhoel has served as counsel for CIP on numerous criminal cases, and achieved the legal exoneration of a number of convicted prisoners.

She serves as the in-house DNA expert, authors petitions filed on behalf of the Project's clients, directs and supervises clinical student casework, and coordinates case litigation.

She conducts field investigations, including visits to crime scenes, courts, correctional facilities and police stations.

She drafts petitions for writ of habeas corpus and motions for DNA testing for cases where strong evidence of innocence exists.

[3] The 2002 conviction of All Star linebacker Brian Banks on false charges of rape and kidnapping was dismissed in 2012, directly due to the efforts of the California Innocence Project.

Following his initial arrest for the alleged crimes, Banks, despite his protestations of innocence, faced a possible conviction, if the case had gone to trial, of 41-years-to-life, and reluctantly agreed to a plea bargain.

[14][15] After his release on probation, he arranged for a meeting with his accuser, Wanetta Gibson (who had contacted him through Facebook), at which she admitted on video that there had been no rape or kidnapping in 2002, and that their encounter had been completely consensual.

However, CIP was instrumental in putting together additional evidence supporting Banks' story, which led the district attorney to dismiss all charges against him and release him from sex-offender status, allowing him to resume his aborted sports career.

[20] CIP co-founder and director Justin Brooks said, "The jury sees this young black kid... this woman says, 'yeah, I think that's the guy,' and he goes away for twenty-three years.

[3][22][23] In 1994, Reggie Cole was convicted of the shooting of Felipe Angeles after being misidentified by an eyewitness, a local brothel owner.

However, despite the fact that medical records were produced that proved Cole had actually received his leg wound six years prior, he was convicted.

[16][24][25][26] Based largely on eyewitness identification by two police officers, Daniel Larsen was convicted in 1999 of being in possession of a concealed knife under California's Three Strikes Law.

[38][37][39] Courtney was found guilty of the kidnapping and rape of a young woman in November 2004, based almost entirely on eyewitness identifications.

However, subsequent advances in DNA technology prompted CIP to request that the victim's clothes be tested again, and a male profile was obtained.

[40] That profile was run through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), resulting in a positive identification of a local man with, as CIP said in a press release, "a striking physical resemblance to Courtney.

[41][40] Said Bjerkhoel: "The National Institute of Justice has funded us to do DNA testing in cases such as this because identifications have often proved to be faulty.

[44] The victim herself had been married to Googie Harris, Sr., who knew about the affair, had filed a restraining order against Cheek and had demanded custody of their daughters.

[46][49] Meanwhile, the CIP lobbied the legislature, in line with other states, to reduce the legal evidentiary standard, which would make the original 2014 DNA evidence to the judge sufficient to exonerate Roberts.

[44] A tweet showing Roberts released from prison on that day and featuring Bjerkhoel appeared on the CIP's Twitter account.

[50] Under the law, wrongfully convicted inmates such as Roberts are entitled to receive $140 for each day incarcerated,[44] which would add up to over $1 million for his nearly 20 years in prison.

Determined to gain clemency from Governor Jerry Brown for twelve convicted prisoners whom they deemed to be "100 percent innocent," as well as to gain public awareness of the plight of wrongfully convicted prisoners, they walked a 700-mile route from the CIP's offices in San Diego to the Capitol at Sacramento to formally present their petitions on behalf of the twelve to the governor.

[52] Adam Riojas, a CIP client freed after 14 years in prison, accompanied the marchers from San Diego to Oceanside, where he is now the pastor of a local chapel.

[16] In December of the same year, the California Innocence Project recreated the final (Sacramento) leg of the original march, from Raley Field to the governor's office at the Capitol.

"[53] Several of the prisoners named in the petition (including Guy Miles and Kim Long) have subsequently been freed through CIP's efforts.