Some criminologists and legal observers maintain that in too many cases the quality of legal representation being furnished poor people is below par. The right of a defendant to counsel was guaranteed in the 1963 Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainright.
Critics say capital cases are often entrusted to young or inexperienced lawyers.
And lawyers sometimes fail to do the most fundamental tasks, like investigating the case and their client's background and presenting closing arguments, they charge.