Client Autonomy on the Front Lines as a Georgia Appeals Lawyer
From Bob Mabry at his blog, Courts and Writing, I learned about an article by University of Georgia law professor Erica J Hashimoto in the latest issue of the Boston University Law Review. According to Professor Hashimoto, the criminal client should have a complete right to represent himself at trial and on appeal. Also, when a client has a lawyer by appointment or whom he has retained, Hashimoto argues that the client should control all matters in the case including which defense to choose, which witnesses to call, which errors to enumerate on appeal, and how the appellate brief should be written. I agree with the professor generally. The client’s autonomy is important. Criminal counsel should communicate regularly and consider the client’s views. However, I cannot go so far as to agree with the specifics of her argument. The client should not have the power to control which issues are chosen for appeal or how the appellate brief should be structured or worded.
Professor Hashimoto’s Argument
The general thrust of the article is that courts since Faretta v. California have taken an increasingly paternalistic view toward the client in a way that has undermined the client’s autonomy in violation of the Sixth Amendment. Hashimoto then proposes that courts return to regime where the client controls all issues in the case, with the advice and assistance of counsel. She argues that, when the 6th Amendment was drafted, few criminal defendants had lawyers, and that, when they did, the client called the shots on all major trial and appellate issues. So, the framers never envisioned a legal system where the acceptance of a lawyer meant a waiver of the right to control the flow of the case.
Next she argues that the plain language of the 6th Amendment envisions that the client can call the shots on everything with the assistance of counsel.
Finally, she points out that control of the trial is the last major opportunity the accused has to control his destiny before going to prison and ceding all control over day to day activities to prison officials.
While there are some things I like about this article, there are some things about it which, if true, would make it difficult to professionally represent clients on appeal.