Opinion ID: 1467486
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Appellant Smith

Text: Counsel for Appellant Smith, on the other hand, attacks his own conduct at trial as constituting ineffective assistance of counsel in that he failed to obtain for appellant's use either the minimum number of three peremptory challenges or any greater number of such challenges up to the maximum number of seven. Counsel is the only attorney to have represented Appellant Smith during this case. As with Appellant Bradley, no evidentiary hearing on this issue was requested or held for Smith in the trial court. Instead, counsel attempts to turn this appeal into an evidentiary presentation. In his brief, counsel avers that he was not aware of rule 1126 prior to or during jury selection and that if he had been . . . he would have requested the maximum number of challenges. Counsel further states that he had no legitimate tactical reason for [his] failure to request additional challenges; rather his failure to do so was the result of his ignorance of Rule 1126. Brief for Appellant Smith at 33-34. (Emphasis supplied.) This court is thus once again confronted with a situation in which counsel raises his own ineffectiveness. Over the last decade, and especially over the last five years, such claims have become an all too frequently encountered feature of the appellate review of criminal cases. Over this period, more than forty cases involving such claims have been presented. [23] The standard pattern of analysis and disposition was established in Commonwealth v. Fox, 476 Pa. 475, 383 A.2d 199 (1978). The court stated: While this court will entertain a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal by the same attorney who served as trial counsel if reversible error is apparent on the record before us, we will not reject such a claim without a remand for appointment of new counsel. Id., 476 Pa. at 479, 383 A.2d at 201. [24] Thus, it is the usual course for an appellate court of this Commonwealth to remand a claim such as this to the trial court for a hearing on counsel's alleged ineffectiveness at which the defendant will be represented by an attorney not associated with the firm or office which provided the earlier, allegedly ineffective, counsel. [25] Only five times have our appellate courts found an attorney's alleged ineffectiveness to be apparent on the record and decided the merits of an ineffectiveness claim raised by the allegedly ineffective attorney or someone associated with him. Commonwealth v. Pfaff, 477 Pa. 461, 384 A.2d 1179 (1978); Commonwealth v. Tran, 307 Pa.Super. 489, 453 A.2d 993 (1982) (filed 12/10/82); Commonwealth v. Stiefel, 286 Pa.Super. 259, 428 A.2d 981 (1981); Commonwealth v. McNeal, 261 Pa.Super. 332, 396 A.2d 424 (1978) (three judges concurring only in the result, one judge dissenting); Commonwealth v. Weber, 256 Pa.Super. 249, 389 A.2d 1107 (1978). In almost all other cases, the matter was remanded for further proceedings. Usually, when any discussion takes place concerning the principles underlying the disposition of such a claim, the courts often state that a remand is necessary because it is unrealistic to expect zealous advocacy from an attorney laboring under the conflict of interest inherent in arguing his own or an associate's ineffectiveness. Commonwealth v. Fox, 476 Pa. at 478-479, 383 A.2d at 200-201. Sometimes in the strongest terms, both this court and the Supreme Court have used this zealousness theme to condemn the practice and to induce counsel to either forego such claims or to step aside and allow new counsel to adequately develop a record and present the claim along with the others preserved for appellate review. Commonwealth v. Willis, 492 Pa. 310, 424 A.2d 876 (1981); Commonwealth v. Glasco, 481 Pa. 490, 393 A.2d 11 (1978); Commonwealth v. Gardner, 480 Pa. 7, 389 A.2d 58 (1978); Commonwealth v. Patrick, 477 Pa. 284, 383 A.2d 935 (1978); Commonwealth v. Wright, 473 Pa. 395, 374 A.2d 1272 (1977); Commonwealth v. Via, 455 Pa. 373, 316 A.2d 895 (1974); Commonwealth v. Massie, 294 Pa.Super. 115, 439 A.2d 777 (1982); Commonwealth v. Nance, 290 Pa.Super. 312, 434 A.2d 769 (1981); Commonwealth v. Beecher, 278 Pa.Super. 309, 420 A.2d 555 (1980); Commonwealth v. Lewis, 278 Pa.Super. 35, 419 A.2d 1342 (1980); Commonwealth v. Prowell, 249 Pa.Super. 435, 378 A.2d 374 (1977); Commonwealth v. Crowther, 241 Pa.Super. 446, 361 A.2d 861 (1976). Occasionally, this court has forcefully criticized counsel for raising such claims. For example, in Commonwealth v. Smoyer, 281 Pa.Super. 320, 323, 422 A.2d 189, 190 (1980), the Court stated: We do not condone the practice of counsel from the public defender's office raising the effective assistance of counsel where trial counsel is a different attorney from the same public defender's office. If a genuine issue of the effectiveness of trial counsel exists, then the public defender should request the trial court to appoint appellate counsel who is not a member of the public defender's office. The allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel is tantamount to an allegation of incompetency on the part of counsel. . . . The best interest of an appellant is not served where his counsel must establish that an associate from his office acted in an incompetent manner at trial. It is now beyond dispute that the duties and obligations imposed upon counsel in a criminal case are the same regardless of whether counsel is privately retained, appointed by the court or a member of the public defender's or legal aid office. Cuyler v. Sullivan, 446 U.S. 335, 344-345, 100 S.Ct. 1708, 1716, 64 L.Ed.2d 333 (1980); Ferri v. Ackerman, 444 U.S. 193, 199-205, 100 S.Ct. 402, 407-410, 62 L.Ed.2d 355 (1979); Reese v. Danforth, 486 Pa. 479, 406 A.2d 735 (1979); Barto v. Felix, 250 Pa.Super. 262, 378 A.2d 927 (1977); ABA Standards for Criminal Justice (2d Ed.), Standards Relating to the Defense Function, Standard 4-3.-9; Burger, Counsel for the Prosecution and Defense  Their Roles Under the Minimum Standards, 8 Am.Crim. L.Q. 2, 6 (1969). The burden placed upon the shoulders of the public defender by the Court in Smoyer, supra, must be borne as well by privately retained and court-appointed counsel. It is manifestly obvious that present counsel has not done so. The circumstances of this case also call upon us to comment upon another facet of counsel's representation. As is apparent from the quoted portions of his brief, counsel is attempting to place before us factual matters outside the record in an attempt to obtain a ruling in his client's favor. Not only is it not the function of this court to make factual findings, but counsel is attempting to act as both witness and attorney in the same case. Such a practice has long been condemned in both civil and criminal cases. Commonwealth v. Floyd, 494 Pa. 537, 431 A.2d 984 (1981); Commonwealth v. Fontana, 490 Pa. 7, 415 A.2d 4 (1980); American Dredging Co. v. City of Philadelphia, 480 Pa. 177, 389 A.2d 568 (1978); Kraynick v. Hertz, 443 Pa. 105, 277 A.2d 144 (1971); Commonwealth v. Scoleri, 415 Pa. 218, 202 A.2d 521 (1964); Otto Will, 349 Pa. 205, 36 A.2d 797 (1944); Perry v. Dicken, 105 Pa. 83, 51 Am.Rep. 181 (1884). Both the Canons of Ethics, Canon 19, and the Code of Professional Responsibility, Disciplinary Rules 5-101 and 5-102, specifically proscribe such conduct. We discuss these matters not merely to add to the growing chronicle of examples of problems in current ineffective assistance doctrine, see, e.g., Commonwealth v. Alexander, 495 Pa. 26, 432 A.2d 182 (1981); Commonwealth v. Watlington, 491 Pa. 241, 420 A.2d 431 (1980); see also Commonwealth v. Brown, 313 Pa.Super. 256, 263, 459 A.2d 837, 840 (1983) ( en banc ) (concurring opinion of Spaeth, J.); but to emphasize that claims wherein counsel challenges his own effectiveness are not favored and should not be asserted. The professional improprieties and procedural wastefulness described above, repeated again and again despite the strongest words of disapproval voiced by this and the Supreme Court, are the proper subjects of ameliorative efforts. For the purposes of this case, we conclude that several factors compel us to withhold our recognition of the claim now pressed by Smith. First, counsel failed to raise this question before the trial court. This failure on his part took place despite the example set for him by trial counsel for Appellant Garvin who raised this issue in her post-trial motions and then stepped aside in order to allow post-trial and appellate counsel to advance this and other properly preserved claims. Smith's counsel attended an evidentiary hearing at which Garvin's trial counsel was called to testify concerning this very point. Despite having this claim drawn to his attention in this potent manner, counsel stated not one word on behalf of his own client. Second, counsel also failed, despite the example set for him by Bradley's trial counsel, to step aside and allow new and independent counsel to prosecute this appeal. In such a posture, we could have stayed proceedings in this court pending an evidentiary hearing. We would also not be confronted with the unenviable position of being required to assess the trustworthiness of one who comes before us in the twin roles of interested witness and advocate. Third, as noted above, counsel's delay has permitted him to bring before this court averments of fact outside of the record to which the Commonwealth cannot properly respond and which we cannot properly evaluate. Counsel's failure in this regard carries with it a strong disregard for the orderly administration of justice by asking us to assume the role of fact-finder at the same time that we are unable to afford the Commonwealth an opportunity to be heard in rebuttal. Fourth, counsel does not challenge as ineffective his failure to bring this alleged error before the trial court in post-trial motions. By this failure, he attempts to avoid the kind of burden that would be placed upon independent successor counsel who must allege the ineffectiveness of each preceding counsel. Fifth, an examination of the cases in which counsel raised his own or an associate's ineffectiveness on direct appeal where the case was remanded for an evidentiary hearing on counsel's alleged ineffectiveness shows that in most cases counsel either raised his own ineffectiveness in the trial court by means of post-trial motions, Commonwealth v. Patrick, 477 Pa. 284, 383 A.2d 935 (1978); Commonwealth v. Cooke, 288 Pa.Super. 205, 431 A.2d 360 (1981); Commonwealth v. Smoyer, supra ; Commonwealth v. McCarty, 280 Pa.Super. 102, 421 A.2d 425 (1980); Commonwealth v. Jellots, 277 Pa.Super. 358, 419 A.2d 1184 (1980); Commonwealth v. Aye, 275 Pa.Super. 369, 418 A.2d 767 (1980); Commonwealth v. Hart, 272 Pa.Super. 189, 414 A.2d 1071 (1979); or attacked as ineffective his failure to preserve the issue, Commonwealth v. Quarles, 284 Pa.Super. 473, 426 A.2d 145 (1981); Commonwealth v. Stump, 281 Pa.Super. 317, 422 A.2d 187 (1980); Commonwealth v. Jackson, 280 Pa.Super. 522, 421 A.2d 845 (1980); Commonwealth v. Vigue, 279 Pa.Super. 46, 420 A.2d 736 (1980); Commonwealth v. Beecher, 278 Pa.Super. 309, 420 A.2d 555 (1980); Commonwealth v. Williams, 277 Pa.Super. 86, 419 A.2d 673 (1980); Commonwealth v. Harrison, 275 Pa.Super. 249, 418 A.2d 706 (1980); Commonwealth v. Lennox, 270 Pa.Super. 254, 411 A.2d 514 (1979). [26] We also note that this court has expressly ruled that: [C]ounsel must raise his own ineffectiveness, if he is to raise it at all, at the first available time. In the instant case, counsel would have had to raise that claim in post-trial motions. Failing that, counsel could have contended before this Court that he had been ineffective in failing to file proper post-trial motions and requested the right to file post-verdict motions nunc pro tunc. Because counsel did not raise the claim properly, we hold that the issue is waived. Commonwealth v. Matt, 249 Pa.Super. 98, 106-107, 375 A.2d 777, 780-781 (1977) (Hoffman, J., with three judges joining, three judges concurring in the result) (footnotes and citations omitted). This case continues to be viable. Commonwealth v. Tran, 307 Pa.Super. 489, 494, 453 A.2d 993, 995 (1982). Finally, but by no means least in importance, we observe that Appellant Smith is not foreclosed from having this claim heard on collateral attack pursuant to the Post Conviction Hearing Act (PCHA). [27] Counsel who is alleged to be ineffective cannot foreclose his client from obtaining a hearing on the ineffectiveness issue. Commonwealth v. Dancer, 460 Pa. 95, 100, 331 A.2d 435, 438 (1975). Such a claim may be fully waived only by the failure of new and independent counsel to raise and litigate the issue. Commonwealth v. Hubbard, 472 Pa. at 277 n. 7, 372 A.2d at 699 n. 7 (1977). See also Commonwealth v. Matt, supra ; Commonwealth v. Drake, 489 Pa. 541, 545-547 and n. 6, 414 A.2d 1023, 1025-1026 and n. 6 (1980). We also observe that there is no greater impediment to the prompt scheduling of PCHA proceedings than there is to the scheduling of proceedings on remand. In nearly all material respects, these proceedings would be the same: new counsel would need to be obtained, the time investigating and preparing for the hearings would be the same, and all parties would still be able to obtain appellate review. For all of the foregoing reasons, therefore, we neither reach the merits of the issue nor remand for an evidentiary hearing; for the purposes of this appeal only, the issue is deemed to have been waived. [28]