Opinion ID: 886521
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Weldele's ineffective assistance of counsel claims

Text: ¶ 68 We turn next to the question of whether Weldele's counsel was ineffective for failing to file the denied motions in a timely manner. To assess a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, both on direct appeal and in post-conviction proceedings, this Court applies the two-prong test from Strickland v. Washington (1984), 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674, which requires the defendant to show that his counsel's performance was deficient and that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense and deprived the defendant of a fair trial. Porter v. State, 2002 MT 319, 313 Mont. 149, 60 P.3d 951 (citation omitted). ¶ 69 Weldele's attorney challenges her own effectiveness with this issue. She argues that if this Court affirms the District Court's denial of the untimely-filed motions, then she provided ineffective assistance to Weldele by failing to file these motions in a timely manner. In this connection, we note an observation made several years ago by the California Supreme Court, Self-proclaimed inadequacies on the part of trial counsel in aid of a client on appeal are not persuasive. People v. Beagle (1972), 6 Cal.3d 441, 99 Cal.Rptr. 313, 492 P.2d 1. ¶ 70 First, it is important to recall that there is a strong presumption that counsel rendered adequate assistance and made all significant decisions in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. 2052. To overcome this presumption, a defendant bears the burden of showing that counsel's performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness, and if so, that defendant was actually prejudiced by counsel's deficient performance. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 688 and 692, 104 S.Ct. 2052. Arguably inadequate professional performance will not warrant overturning a judgment if the counsel's error had no effect on the judgment. The inquiry is whether, absent counsel's deficient representation, there is a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. 2052. ¶ 71 An evaluation of counsel's overall representation of Weldele throughout the case at bar reveals that counsel's assistance did not fall below the reasonable standard. She zealously and conscientiously represented Weldele by filing a multitude of pretrial motions, including a motion to dismiss, seeking to protect her client. She and co-counsel earnestly assisted Weldele during his jury trial and aggressively sought to protect his interests through objections and a motion for mistrial. In light of her active and diligent representation of Weldele as displayed in the record of this case, we conclude that Weldele has not satisfied the first prong of the Strickland test. Quite simply, the late filing of two of many pretrial motions does not rise to the level of a patently deficient performance. Because we find no overall deficiency of performance, we need not determine whether the prejudice prong of Strickland has been satisfied.