Opinion ID: 1789708
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: appointment of cocounsel

Text: At the suggestion of the Florida Public Defender Association, the Committee added the last sentence of subdivision (e), Appointment of Counsel, which provides, In capital cases in which the Public Defender is appointed, the Public Defender shall designate lead and cocounsel. The Association, as well as others who commented, advocates that the appointment of cocounsel should be mandatory in all capital cases, noting that [t]he [American Bar Association] has long taken the position that at least two qualified attorneys must be assigned to each of the three stages of a capital case and asks us to reconsider our prior qualification of this requirement. The American Bar Association joins in this request. However, as we explained in our earlier opinion: Although we are in agreement with the committee's legitimate concerns in recommending [the appointment of two attorneys] to ensure adequate and competent representation for capital defendants, we also agree with the views expressed by others that the trial court should retain some supervisory authority over the decision to appoint cocounsel. Therefore, while the standards we adopt today provide that two lawyers should ordinarily be appointed, we leave the ultimate decision to the discretion of the trial court. 759 So.2d at 612-13 (footnote omitted). We are confident that trial judges will act in accord with the overarching purpose of the rule, which is to see that adequate and competent representation is provided to all capital defendants.