Opinion ID: 1351510
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Misrepresentation of Counsel's Skill and Experience

Text: (25) Defendant first argues that counsel's silence in the face of the trial court's erroneous assertion that he had previously tried a death penalty case constituted ineffective assistance. Defendant speculates that counsel's failure to correct the trial court's representations was calculated to preserve a workable, if not amicable, attorney-client relationship. However, he reasons that defense counsel's failure to reveal the truth about his lack of capital trial experience prejudiced him in four possible ways: (1) he was talked into waiving his Faretta rights; (2) he was denied the right to make an informed decision whether to waive his speedy trial rights; (3) he was similarly denied the right to make an informed decision whether or not to testify; and (4) he would have participated more in trial strategy had he known of counsel's alleged inexperience. As the People convincingly argue, however, defendant has not demonstrated how the outcome of his trial would have been any different had counsel corrected the trial court's misstatement. Although defendant speculates the trial outcome may have been different because he would have taken a more active role in the formation and implementation of the myriad tactical decisions he left to counsel, his argument is unavailing for two reasons. First, trial tactics are ordinarily within the sound discretion of trial counsel. (See, e.g., People v. Haylock (1980) 113 Cal. App.3d 146, 151 [169 Cal. Rptr. 658].) Second, defendant's hindsight attacks upon counsel's performance are too general to support a conclusion that counsel's omissions prejudiced the verdicts. For example, defendant does not demonstrate how he would have been better off had he not waived his speedy trial rights. In light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt, we conclude that this first ineffectiveness-of-counsel argument is wholly without merit.