Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
From Criminal Defense Wiki
Background
Poor lawyering contributes to a significant number of wrongful convictions.[1]
United States
Test for Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
In Strickland v. Washington,466 U.S. 668 (1984), the United States Supreme Court held that for a defendant to make out a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the defendant must show that 1) counsel's performance was deficient in that it fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and 2) that counsel's deficiencies so prejudiced his case so as to render the outcome of his trial unreliable and therefore unfair.