Opinion ID: 1351510
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Second Counsel

Text: (26) Defendant asserts counsel should have sought the appointment of second counsel because of his relative lack of experience. However, the circumstance that counsel had not yet tried a death penalty case does not inescapably lead to a conclusion that appointment of second counsel was warranted here, absent some evidence that he was so inexperienced he could not provide effective assistance. (See People v. Gzikowski (1982) 32 Cal.3d 580 [186 Cal. Rptr. 339, 651 P.2d 1145] [after lead counsel was relieved, second counsel was too inexperienced to continue alone; the trial court abused its discretion by denying a continuance to allow second counsel to associate new lead counsel].) Lack of capital trial experience does not in and of itself establish incompetency. (See Smith v. Superior Court (1968) 68 Cal.2d 547, 552-553, fn. 1 [68 Cal. Rptr. 1, 440 P.2d 65].) Defendant has not demonstrated counsel's ineffective performance or the requisite showing of prejudice with bald allegations of inexperience alone.