Opinion ID: 2339636
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Duty to file an appeal

Text: Related to the duty to inform or consult about an appeal is trial counsel's duty to file an appeal on behalf of his client. We have stated that trial counsel has a constitutional duty to file a direct appeal in two circumstances: when requested to do so and when the defendant expresses dissatisfaction with his conviction, and that the failure to do so in those circumstances is deficient for purposes of proving ineffective assistance of counsel. Lozada, 110 Nev. at 354-57, 871 P.2d at 947-49; Davis, 115 Nev. at 20, 974 P.2d at 660. The second circumstance triggering the duty to file a direct appealwhen the client expresses dissatisfaction with a convictionhas the potential for mischief, as it is by no means unusual for a criminal defendant to express dissatisfaction after having been convicted and facing a prison term or a period of supervised release. Our caselaw fails to provide meaningful guidance to practitioners in fulfilling their duty to file an appeal and to the courts in evaluating appeal-deprivation claims that are based on counsel's failure to file an appeal where the client claims to have expressed dissatisfaction with the conviction. Considering that dissatisfaction with a criminal conviction or sentence is not uncommon, the goal is to discern those clients who truly desire to appeal their conviction from those defendants who are disappointed with their lot. This is particularly important given that [t]he burden is on the client to indicate to his attorney that he wishes to pursue an appeal. Davis, 115 Nev. at 20, 974 P.2d at 660; see also Downs v. Warden, 93 Nev. 475, 478, 568 P.2d 575, 576-77 (1977) (determining that counsel was not ineffective for failing to file a notice of appeal where the client never expressed a desire to appeal and seemed satisfied with the outcome of his case). Recognizing the need for more guidance, we hold that trial counsel has a duty to file a direct appeal when the client's desire to challenge the conviction or sentence can be reasonably inferred from the totality of the circumstances, focusing on the information that counsel knew or should have known at the time. [3] Cf. Flores-Ortega, 528 U.S. at 480, 120 S.Ct. 1029 (discussing circumstances in which counsel must consult with a client regarding an appeal). In determining whether counsel knew or should have known that his client wanted to appeal the conviction, the courts may consider whether the conviction arose from a jury trial or a guilty plea, both because a guilty plea reduces the scope of potentially appealable issues[ [4] ] and because such a plea may indicate that the defendant seeks an end to judicial proceedings. Id. When the defendant has pleaded guilty, relevant circumstances may include whether the defendant received the sentence he bargained for as part of the plea (it would be reasonable to conclude that a defendant who received the bargained-for sentence would be satisfied with that sentence), whether the defendant reserved certain issues for appeal (the reservation of an issue for appeal reasonably indicates the defendant's desire to appeal), whether the defendant indicated a desire to challenge his sentence within the period for filing an appeal, and whether the defendant sought relief from the plea before sentencing (the filing of a presentence motion to withdraw a plea reasonably indicates dissatisfaction with the conviction). [5] In the instant case, the totality of the circumstances demonstrates Toston's desire to challenge his conviction and sentence. Toston's outbursts at sentencing indicate he was dissatisfied with the proceedings in general and his sentence in particular as it was not the sentence that he bargained for. In fact, the sentencing judge observed how upset Toston was and instructed trial counsel to make an appropriate decision about what to do next, which could include filing a motion to withdraw the plea, filing a motion to correct the sentence, or filing an appeal. As none of these actions were taken in this case, it is not clear if trial counsel followed up with Toston as contemplated by the judge. Because it is not clear what amount of communication trial counsel had with his client after sentencing and because Toston's dissatisfaction and desire to challenge the conviction and sentence was evident from the record, we cannot affirm the decision of the district court to deny this claim without an evidentiary hearing.