Court Opinion

ID: 9721089
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 08:48:16.861181+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:23.359720
License: Public Domain

KEM THOMPSON FROST, Justice,
concurring.
Although I concur with the result, I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that there is no room in the analysis articulated in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984) to consider the fact that a defendant is a criminal defense attorney by profession and, therefore, was aware of the consequences of his plea. While the defendant’s status as a criminal defense attorney would never be germane to the first prong of Strickland, which focuses entirely on counsel’s representation under prevailing professional norms, this fact could be relevant to the analysis under the second prong of Strickland, where a reviewing court is compelled to consider the resulting prejudice, if any, to the defendant.
*281Under the second part of the Strickland analysis, the defendant “must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” 466 U.S. at 694,104 S.Ct. 2052. In determining if the appellant was prejudiced by pleading guilty, the court should consider his testimony that he would not have pled guilty but for counsel’s deficient performance. See Morales v. State, 910 S.W.2d 642, 646 (Tex.App.—Beaumont 1995, pet. ref'd) (finding the appellant was prejudiced where counsel gave incorrect and incomplete advice about a guilty plea upon which the appellant relied); see also Melton v. State, 987 S.W.2d 72, 77 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1998, no pet.) (finding the appellant suffered prejudice where counsel misstated the evidence upon which the appellant relied in changing his plea to guilty and the evidence did not overwhelmingly support his guilt). In evaluating the defendant’s claim that he would not have pled guilty, a court must consider whether the defendant is likely to have understood the situation, his rights, and the consequences of his plea. To the extent an accused’s legal training and experience bear on his understanding of these matters, his profession is a relevant consideration. For example, if, as a member of the criminal defense bar, appellant knew the advice his counsel provided to him (e.g., an assurance of probation without an agreed plea) was inaccurate, it is unlikely that counsel’s ineffectiveness would have induced appellant to enter the plea. In such a case, it would be difficult to find that counsel’s incompetence might have induced appellant’s action (entering a nolo conten-dere plea without an agreed recommendation from the state) and thereby undermined confidence in the outcome of the proceeding. Under such circumstances, there is not a reasonable probability that but for counsel’s purported error, appellant would have insisted on going to trial.
The majority cites Foster v. State, 677 S.W.2d 507 (Tex.Crim.App.1984) for the proposition that we should not consider the defendant’s occupation in evaluating an ineffective assistance claim. Given the fact-specific nature of the analysis in Foster,'1 it is distinguishable from the situation presented here and not applicable to a determination under Strickland. As this case is correctly decided under the first prong of Strickland, the determination of this issue is not essential to the decision in this case. Nevertheless, I register my disagreement to the extent the majority’s opinion is construed to foreclose the consideration of the defendant’s status as a criminal defense attorney in the second prong of the Strickland analysis.

. The Foster court noted that three specific factors should be considered before deciding whether the taint between the illegal arrest and the confession was attenuated. 677 S.W.2d at 509. The factor that the State argued attenuated the taint, i.e., the presence of an intervening circumstance, was not supported by the record. See id. In fact, the record reflected that the defendant’s status as an attorney may have magnified the police misconduct, which is the third factor to consider in determining whether the taint is attenuated, and so would support the position that the taint was not attenuated. See id. at 509-10.