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U.S. Department of Justice prohibits ineffective assistance of counsel waivers as part of plea bargains in federal criminal prosecutions

Hello everyone and welcome to this Ethics Alert which will discuss the recent Washington Post article which states that the Justice Department has prohibited U.S. Attorneys from requiring waivers of ineffective assistance of counsel in exchange for a plea. The Post article is here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/doj-to-amend-competent-counsel-waiver-practices-as-holder-prepares-to-step-down/2014/10/14/465efbde-53ba-11e4-809b-8cc0a295c773_story.html?hpid=z3

According to the Washington Post article, the Justice Department said on October 14, 2014 that, effective on that date, federal prosecutors are prohibited from requiring criminal defendants to waive their right to claim ineffective assistance of counsel a condition of a plea. Attorney General Eric H. Holder said the “policy is an attempt to ensure that all individuals who face criminal charges are ably represented. ‘Everyone in this country who faces criminal legal action deserves the opportunity to make decisions with the assistance of effective legal counsel…(u)nder this policy, no defendant will have to forego their right to able representation in the course of pleading guilty to a crime.’”

“A memo by (Deputy Attorney General James M.) Cole directs federal prosecutors to no longer require criminal defendants to waive their future claims of ineffective assistance of counsel in plea agreements. It also instructs federal prosecutors to stop enforcing waivers that have already been signed in cases where defense counsel provided ineffective assistance that resulted in prejudice or where the defendant’s claim raises a serious issue that a court should resolve.” The Post article states that some U.S. attorney’s offices no longer require defendants to waive their right to make future claims about the effectiveness of their counsel; however, before the new policy was announced, 35 of the Justice Department’s 94 U.S. attorney’s offices still permitted the waiver requirement.

Bottom line: As I discussed in my 12/13/12 Ethics Alert blog, which is here: https://jcorsmeier.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/florida-bars-board-of-governors-approves-advisory-opinions-related-to-waivers-of-ineffective-assistance-and-prosecutorial-misconduct-and-permitting-lawyers-to-authorize-non-lawyers-to-use-e-portal-c/, Florida Bar Ethics Advisory Opinion 12-1 opines that it was unethical for criminal prosecutors to request such ineffective assistance waivers and for criminal defense lawyers to accept them. The opinion also states that it was unethical for prosecutors to request, and defense lawyers to agree to waivers of prosecutorial misconduct. This new DOJ policy now prohibits all federal criminal prosecutors from requiring such a waiver as part of a criminal plea.

Let’s be careful out there.

Disclaimer: this e-mail does not contain any legal advice and the comments herein should not be relied upon by anyone who reads it.

Joseph A. Corsmeier, Esquire
Law Office of Joseph A. Corsmeier, P.A.
2454 McMullen Booth Road, Suite 431
Clearwater, Florida 33759
Office (727) 799-1688
Fax (727) 799-1670
[email protected]
www.jac-law.com

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