Summary: The Supreme Court recently clarified the rights of defendants in criminal cases to effective assistance of counsel during plea negotiations in two closely related decisions, Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye. In two other decisions earlier this Term, Maples v. Thomas and Martinez v. Ryan, the Supreme Court ruled on federal court review of state criminal convictions when counsel has been ineffective or abandoned a client in the post-conviction appeals process. All four cases will significantly affect criminal defendants' access to counsel at the front end of the criminal process, during plea bargaining, as well as the back end, during state collateral appeals. After discussing the Court's decisions in these cases, the speakers will take questions from the callers. Featuring Mr. George Kendall of Squire Sanders and Mr. Dean Mazzone of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.
