Opinion ID: 1058958
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Failure to Conduct Post-Trial Juror Interviews

Text: In claim XI(A)(2), Morrisette contends that counsel should have interviewed the jurors immediately following the trial and that, if counsel had done so, the interviews would have disclosed the jurors' failure to follow the trial court's instructions regarding Morrisette's decision not to testify. Morrisette asserts he was prejudiced by this failure because it prevented counsel from raising the issue of the jury's misconduct in a post-trial motion and on appeal. There is no requirement that counsel must interview every juror at the end of a case. Lenz, 267 Va. at 326, 593 S.E.2d at 296-97. Thus, Morrisette has failed to demonstrate that counsel's performance was deficient. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052.