Kelly Orians

Kelly Orians serves as Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Decarceration and Community Reentry Clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law. As an expert in prisoner reentry and decarceration, she leads clinical programs where law students provide direct legal services to formerly incarcerated individuals seeking clemency, pardons, and post-conviction relief.

Professor Orians earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a focus on public policy and mass incarceration, followed by her law degree from UCLA School of Law through the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, where she specialized in critical race studies and business law and policy.

Her research focuses on the collateral consequences of arrests, convictions and incarceration, with particular attention to systemic barriers faced by returning citizens in housing, employment, and financial security. Orians examines how these challenges disproportionately impact low-income communities of color and explores policy solutions for meaningful reintegration. Her work bridges legal scholarship with practical community-based interventions, emphasizing economic empowerment as a pathway to successful reentry.

Professor Orians' publications reveal a consistent focus on prisoner reentry challenges, with increasing attention to racial disparities and community-based solutions. Her scholarship connects legal analysis with real-world implementation, particularly highlighting how court decisions like Graham v. Florida and Miller v. Alabama translate (or fail to translate) into meaningful change for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Her notable awards include:

• Echoing Green Fellowship (2015) for launching The First 72+
• Richard Cornuelle Award for Social Entrepreneurship
• Michael Rubinger Fellowship for Community Development
• Leader in Law by New Orleans City Business (2019)
• J.M.K Innovation Prize (2020)

As Director of the Decarceration and Community Reentry Clinic, Orians mentors law students in providing direct legal representation while developing innovative approaches to reentry. Her practical experience co-founding The First 72+ and Rising Foundations informs her clinical teaching, creating a unique bridge between academic scholarship and community-based implementation. Orians continues to practice before the Louisiana State Bar in post-conviction, parole, and civil rights matters, maintaining active engagement with the populations she studies and serves.

Through The First 72+ and Rising Foundations (now a division of The First 72+), Orians developed holistic reentry services and economic empowerment programs that address both immediate reentry needs and long-term stability for formerly incarcerated individuals. These organizations represent her commitment to translating research into practice through community development approaches that promote business ownership and homeownership among returning citizens.