Opinion ID: 2613357
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Joint Representation

Text: Giles and Wright urge us to adopt a rule that joint representation of defendants constitutes per se ineffective assistance of counsel. We decline to do so. As the Court of Appeals has discussed at length in State v. Koch, 116 Idaho 571, 777 P.2d 1244 (Ct.App. 1989), joint representation of defendants does not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel unless actual conflict of interest is demonstrated. Actual conflict of interest might be shown, for example, if the defendant identifies with particularity alternative defenses or additional important evidence that should have been presented by counsel. See Koch, 116 Idaho at 574, 777 P.2d at 1247; see also State v. Hickman, 119 Idaho 366, 806 P.2d 959 (Ct.App.1991). No such showing is made here. To the contrary, neither Giles nor Wright wished to testify against the other or jeopardize each other in any way. Both defendants consistently maintained that they had not committed the acts charged, and there was no evidence produced to show that they would have changed their defense strategies if they had had separate attorneys. Thus, Giles and Wright make no showing of an actual conflict of interest in the joint representation.