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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of Orange County

Emily Simpson Posts Some Interesting News on Her Legal Career (UPDATED)

The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member opened up about what she's doing today.

By Jocelyn Vena
Emily Simpson 45 Birthday Rhoc

UPDATE (MARCH 18, 1:52 P.M.): Emily Simpson took fans inside her work with the California Innocence Project during the March 16 episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County and she reflected more on her experience working with the organization.

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"I actually watched a documentary that had to do with the Innocence Project maybe 10 years ago and it really kind of rocked my world. And I remember saying to myself, 'If I'm ever in a position where I can volunteer, that's what I want to do,'" she said in the episode. "So, really, binge-watching TV has really led me to be a humanitarian."

She went on to explain what she does with the organization: "I am like the first line of review. I get sent a case and then I make my own personal decision as to whether it should go forward that we can represent them and actually help them. And I have read through cases where it is so clear to me that this person is not guilty that it breaks my heart."

Emily also reflected on the moment and further highlighted the story of Terrill Swift, who she met with during the March 16 episode, on Instagram. She also shared what's next for her work in the Instagram post, below.

During Wednesday's episode, she added. "The world isn't perfect and it's not fair and there's a lot of people that need help and need someone to advocate for them. What I want to do is inspire my children to be good people."

The original story continues below.

The Real Housewives of Orange County's Emily Simpson has been working with the California Innocence Project for some time now. And she recently shared an update on her work with the organization that aims to "free the wrongfully convicted, work to reform the criminal justice system, and train students to become zealous advocates," according to their Instagram.

This past weekend, Emily hosted a fundraiser and shared highlights to her Instagram. Emily, who of course is a lawyer by trade, opened up about being hands on in helping to get the event off the ground. She also posted several moments from the event to her Instagram Stories, sharing some of the personal stories she heard from those who had been helped by the organization.

"Thank you to @harrisjasmin1 of the [California Innocence Project] for asking me to be the Honorary Chair of the California Innocence Project Gala Saturday evening in beautiful San Diego. I was honored to speak and humbly honored to meet the 20 exonerees in attendance who were wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit," Emily shared (from October 2021). "Each of your stories inspires me to continue to speak and work towards justice."

She also revealed some more details of the night. "Thank you to my amazing friend [Lisa Landers Harvey] who owns [Swirl boutique] who helped me coordinate complimentary hair and makeup and jewelry for some of the female exonerees so they would look and feel beautiful on such a special night!" Emily wrote. "A huge shout out to [Headlines the Salon] for your stylists who helped with hair and to [Deana Avila Linn] for helping the ladies with makeup."

In an interview with The Daily Dish in November 2020, Emily opened up about her work with the California Innocence Project. "I’ve always been interested in the Innocence Project," she said at the time. "I’ve actually watched lots of series and documentaries about wrongfully convicted people who have spent large amounts of time in jail and then have their convictions overturned by certain organizations, like the Innocence Project."

She also revealed the kind of work she's doing with the organization. "There’s different Innocence Projects in each state and city. It’s just been something that I really, really, really was interested in. And I always wanted to volunteer with them. But I always worked full time as an attorney and then now I just feel like I’m in a position where I’m not working as an attorney full time so I wanted to use the time, my downtime, to volunteer with them. So I reached out to them maybe like six months ago or something. So now I’m actually on their board," Emily said. "So, I do case review as far as cases that get submitted. And I’m on their board, so I’m gonna plan a fundraiser at some point, hopefully."

As you can see, Emily finally got the chance to host that fundraiser.

Earlier this summer, it was confirmed that Emily will return for Season 16 of RHOC, along with Gina Kirschenheiter and Shannon Storms Beador. At the time, it was also confirmed that Heather Dubrow will return to RHOC after several seasons away.

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