When the state accuses you of a crime, you have the right to an attorney. More than that, you have a right to adequate representation — not just a lawyer sitting next to you.
When you hire a lawyer to defend you, you expect that they will fight for you and protect your freedom. Unfortunately, not all lawyers uphold their duty to their clients. Do you have any rights if your lawyer played a direct role in your conviction?
Inadequate representation can be grounds for an appeal
The legal code is complex, and most people struggle to understand it. Attorneys go to school for many years to learn both how to interpret the law and how to work within the court system. If your attorney made significant breaches in their duty to you, like failing to show up for court, not knowing legal precedent related to your case or failing to advocate for you, that could give you grounds for an appeal.
Your attorney should give you advice about everything from whether you should testify in court to how you dress during your trial. A good lawyer helps make you sympathetic to the jury, creates reasonable doubt about whether you committed a crime and helps counter or undermine the evidence against you as a defendant. You should be able to trust that your lawyer has knowledge of the specific laws and previous legal cases that matter to your case.
If you feel like your lawyer breached their duty to you and their failure was directly responsible for your conviction, you may be in a situation to appeal your conviction and correct the harm done to you by inadequate or incompetent legal representation.