Blake Ackerman

Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project

Blake Ackerman, Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project

Blake Ackerman enrolled in CCCJP for the Fall 2021 semester and became a certified law student in order to make court appearances for the clients, including one for which his discussion with the Deputy District Attorney prior to the court hearing made the difference in the petition being granted. He also has and continues to raise awareness among students about the CCCJP clinic.

As an undergraduate at the University of Southern California (USC), Blake participated in a group focused on helping formerly incarcerated students enrolled at USC, so he understood the obstacles facing those individuals when he joined CCCJP. One of his clients for CCCJP served multiple prison terms in a fire camp through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and CAL Fire and was eligible to apply for relief under the newly enacted inmate firefighter expungement. Blake’s work was excellent; in particular, he wrote an exemplary declaration after talking to the client that led to various courts granting the petitions. His final project for CCCJP was a presentation on State Bar applicants who have criminal convictions, and he investigated the topic thoroughly despite the lack of public information about the admissions process for those applicants. Blake recently obtained a judicial clerkship in Hawaii, another tribute to his being an outstanding student.