Opinion ID: 2124187
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Attorney's Authority in a Trial

Text: A criminal defendant who is represented by counsel relegates control of much of the case to the lawyer except as to certain fundamental decisions reserved to the client ( see People v Ferguson, 67 NY2d at 390; People v Jordan, 96 AD2d 1060, 1061 [2d Dept 1983], affd 62 NY2d 825 [1984]). These fundamental decisions are: whether to plead guilty, waive a jury, testify in his or her own behalf, or take an appeal ( see Jones v Barnes, 463 US 745, 751 [1983]; Wainwright v Sykes, 433 US 72, 93 n 1 [1977] [Burger, C.J., concurring]; People v White, 73 NY2d 468, 478 [1989]; Ferguson, 67 NY2d at 390). While criminal defendants are ultimately responsible for the above decisions, defense counsel are charged with managing the day-to-day conduct of defendant's case and making strategic and tactical decisions ( see Faretta v California, 422 US at 820-821; Wainwright, 433 US at 93 [Burger, C.J., concurring]; Brookhart v Janis, 384 US at 8 [separate op of Harlan, J.]; People v Jordan, 96 AD2d at 1061). As a practical matter, since the daily management of the defense rests with defense counsel, these strategic and tactical decisions, for example, if and when to object, call witnesses and develop particular defenses, have to be made without consulting defendant ( see Wainwright, 433 US at 93 [Burger, C.J., concurring]). The wide discretion defense attorneys have regarding strategic and tactical decisions was also noted by former United States Supreme Court Justice Harlan: I believe a lawyer may properly make a tactical determination of how to run a trial even in the face of his client's incomprehension or even explicit disapproval. The decision, for example, whether or not to cross-examine a specific witness is, I think, very clearly one for counsel alone ( Brookhart, 384 US at 8 [separate op of Harlan, J.]).