La. Admin. Code tit. 22 § XV-1905

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section XV-1905 - Performance Standard 2: Relations with Client

A. Counsels Obligation to Build and Maintain Relationship with Client

1. Counsel at all stages of the case should make every appropriate effort to establish a relationship of trust and confidence with the client, and should maintain close contact with the client. Representation of a capital client should proceed in a client-centered fashion with a strong emphasis on the relationship between the defense team and the client.

2. Counsel should make every appropriate effort to overcome barriers to communication and trust, including those arising from the client's special circumstances, such as incompetence, mental or physical disability/illness, language barriers, youth, and cultural differences, circumstances of incarceration, prior experiences in the criminal justice system, and prior experiences of legal representation. Where barriers to communication or trust with counsel cannot be adequately overcome to allow for high quality representation of the client, the capital case supervisor should be informed, and such further steps as are necessary should be taken. In an appropriate case, this may include seeking the assignment of additional counsel or other team members or the substitution of counsel.

3. Lead counsel should ensure that the defense team as a whole is able to establish and maintain a relationship of trust and confidence with the client. Where a particular team member is unable to overcome barriers to communication or trust, lead counsel should take all reasonable steps to remedy the problem. Where the relationship cannot be sufficiently improved, lead counsel should strongly consider removing or replacing the team member, or seeking removal or replacement from the director of the law office or contracting agency.

4. Understanding that a relationship of trust and confidence with the client is essential to the provision of effective representation of a capital client, the defense team must take all reasonable steps to ensure that both the representation provided and the manner in which that representation is provided operate to develop and preserve such a relationship.

5. Understanding that regular contact and meaningful communication are essential to the provision of effective representation of a capital client, the defense team should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client is able to communicate regularly with the defense team members in confidential circumstances and should ensure that the client is visited by defense team members frequently, particularly where the client is in custody. Counsel may rely upon other members of the defense team to provide some of the required contact with the client, but visits by other team members cannot substitute for counsels own direct contact with the client. Given lead counsels particular responsibilities, visits by other counsel in the case cannot substitute for lead counsels own direct contact with the client.

6. In a trial level case, a capital client should be visited by a member of the defense team no less than once every week, though visits would be expected to be much more frequent where there is active investigation or litigation in the case or in the lead up to trial. In a trial level case a capital client should be visited by an attorney member of the defense team no less than once every two weeks and by lead counsel no less than once month, though visits by counsel would be expected to be much more frequent where there is active investigation or litigation in the case or in the lead up to, during, and following trial.

7. In an appellate or post-conviction case, a capital client may be visited less frequently, but regular communication and actual visits remain critical to effective representation. In an appellate or post-conviction case, a capital client should be visited by a member of the defense team no less than once every two weeks, by an attorney member of the defense team no less than once a month and by lead counsel no less than once every two months, though visits would be expected to be much more frequent where there is active investigation or litigation in the case or in the lead up to, during, and following any major hearing and in the lead up to any execution date.

8. In all capital cases, where barriers to communication or trust exist or the circumstances call for more frequent contact, visits by defense team members, including counsel, should be as frequent as necessary to ensure high quality representation and to protect the interests of the client.

9. Counsel at all stages of the case need to monitor the clients physical, mental, and emotional condition and consider any potential legal consequences or adverse impact upon the adequate representation of the client. Counsel should monitor the clients physical, emotional, and mental condition throughout the representation both personally, through the observations of other team members and experts, and through review of relevant records. If counsel observes changes in the clients appearance or demeanor, counsel should promptly conduct an investigation of any circumstances contributing to this change, and take all reasonable steps to advance the best interests of the client. Recognizing the potential adverse consequences for the representation inherent in any substantial impairment of the clients physical, mental and emotional condition, counsel should take all reasonable steps to improve the clients physical, mental and emotional condition where possible.

10. Counsel at all stages of the case should engage in a continuing interactive dialogue with the client concerning all matters that might reasonably be expected to have a material impact on the case, such as:

a. the progress of and prospects for the investigation and what assistance the client might provide;

b. current or potential legal issues;

c. current or potential strategic and tactical decisions, including the waiver of any rights or privileges held by the client;

d. the development of a defense theory;

e. presentation of the defense case;

f. potential agreed-upon dispositions of the case, including any possible disposition currently acceptable to the prosecution;

g. litigation deadlines and the projected schedule of case-related events; and

h. relevant aspects of the clients relationship with correctional, parole, or other governmental agents (e.g., prison medical providers or state psychiatrists).

11. Counsel shall inform the client of the status of the case at each step and shall provide information to the client regarding the process and procedures relevant to the case, including any anticipated time frame.

12. In the absence of a specific agreement to the contrary, counsel shall provide the client with a copy of each substantive document filed or entered in the case by the court and any party. Counsel shall warn any incarcerated client of the dangers of keeping case related material in a custodial environment and take steps to ensure that the client may have reasonable access to the documents and materials in the case without the necessity of keeping the documents in the prison.

13. Upon disposition of the case or any significant issue in the case, counsel shall promptly and accurately inform the client of the disposition.

14. Counsel should treat the client with respect. Counsel should never demean, disparage, or be hostile towards the client. It is the responsibility of lead counsel to ensure that all members of the defense team satisfy this standard.

15. Counsel shall respond in a timely manner to all correspondence from a client, unless the correspondence is wholly unreasonable in its volume or interval.

16. Counsel should maintain an appropriate, professional office and should maintain a system for receiving regular collect telephone calls from incarcerated clients. Counsel should provide incarcerated clients with directions on how to contact the office via collect telephone calls (e.g. what days and/or hours calls will be accepted). Counsel should determine whether telephone communications will be confidential and where they are not, should take all reasonable steps to ensure that privileged, confidential, or potentially damaging conversations are not conducted during any monitored or recorded calls.

17. Counsel should advise the client at the outset of the representation and frequently remind the client regarding his rights to silence and to counsel.

a. Counsel should carefully explain the significance of remaining silent, and how to assert the rights to silence and counsel. Counsel should specifically advise the client to assert his rights to silence and counsel if approached by any state actor seeking to question him about the charged offense, any other offense, or any other matter relevant to guilt, penalty, or a possible claim for relief. Counsel should take all reasonable steps to assist the client in asserting these rights, including providing a written assertion of rights for the client to use and asserting these rights on behalf of the client. Counsel should have regard to any special need or vulnerability of the client likely to impact his effective assertion of his rights.

b. In particular, counsel should advise the client not to speak with police, probation officers, or other government agents about the offense, any related matters, or any matter that may prove relevant in a penalty phase hearing without the presence of counsel. The client should be advised not to speak or write to any other person, including family members, friends, or co-defendants, about any such matters. The client should also be advised not to speak to any state or court appointed expert without the opportunity for prior consultation with counsel.

c. Counsel should also be conscious of the possible interest of media organizations and individual journalists and should advise the client not to communicate with the media, except as a part of a considered strategy undertaken on the advice of counsel.

18. If counsel knows that the client will be coming into contact with a state actor in circumstances relevant to the representation, counsel should seek to accompany the client to prevent any potentially harmful statements from being made or alleged.

B. Counsels Initial Interviews with Client

1. Recognizing that first contact with a capital client is an extremely important stage in the representation of the client, counsel should take all reasonable steps to conduct a prompt initial interview designed to protect the clients position, preserve the clients rights, and begin the development of a relationship of trust and confidence.

2. Counsel should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the clients rights are promptly asserted, that the client does not waive any right or entitlement by failing to timely assert the right or make a claim, and that any exculpatory or mitigating evidence or information that may otherwise become unavailable is identified and preserved.

3. Counsel should ensure that a high level of contact is maintained at the outset of the representation that is at least sufficient to begin to develop a relationship of trust and confidence, and to meaningfully communicate information relevant to protecting the clients position and preserving the clients rights.

4. An initial interview of pre-trial clients should be conducted within twenty-four hours of counsels entry into the case unless exceptional circumstances require counsel to postpone this interview. In that event or where the client is being represented in appellate or post-conviction proceedings, the interview should be conducted as soon as reasonably possible.

5. If non-certified counsel is meeting with the client before the assignment of appropriately certified counsel, the information obtained should ordinarily be limited to that necessary to advise the client concerning the current procedural posture of the case and to provide for the assertion of the clients rights to silence and to counsel.

6. Preparing for the Initial Interview:

a. prior to conducting the initial interview of a pre-trial client, counsel should, where possible and without unduly delaying the initial interview:

i. be familiar with the elements of the offense(s) and the potential punishment(s), where the charges against the client are already known;

ii. obtain copies of any relevant documents that are available, including copies of any charging documents, warrants and warrant applications, law enforcement and other investigative agency reports, autopsy reports, and any media accounts that might be available; and,

iii. consult with any predecessor counsel to become more familiar with the case and the client.

b. In addition, where the pre-trial client is incarcerated, counsel should:

i. be familiar with the legal criteria for determining pretrial release and the procedures that will be followed in setting those conditions;

ii. be familiar with the different types of pretrial release conditions the court may set and whether private or public agencies are available to act as a custodian for the client's release; and

iii. be familiar with any procedures available for reviewing the trial judge's setting of bail.

c. prior to conducting the interview of a client at appellate and post-conviction stages, counsel should, where possible and without unduly delaying the initial interview:

i. be familiar with the procedural posture of the case;

ii. obtain copies of any relevant documents that are available that provide information on the nature of the offense and the conduct and outcome of prior stages of the proceedings;

iii. consider consulting with any predecessor counsel to become more familiar with the case and the client.

7. Conducting the Interviews

a. Counsel should not expect to adequately communicate all relevant information or begin to develop the necessary relationship with the client in a single interview but should undertake an initial series of interviews designed to achieve these goals. Given the peculiar pressures and issues presented in a capital case, counsel should seek to develop a relationship of trust and confidence before questioning the client about matters relevant to the offense or mitigation.

b. Counsel should always interview the client in an environment that protects the attorney-client privilege. Counsel should take reasonable efforts to compel court and other officials to make necessary accommodations for private discussions between counsel and client in courthouses, lock-ups, jails, prisons, detention centers, hospitals, forensic mental health facilities and other places where clients confer with counsel.

c. Counsel should take all reasonable steps to ensure, at the initial interview and in all successive interviews and proceedings, that barriers to communication and trust are overcome.

d. The scope and focus of the initial interviews will vary according to the circumstances of the case, the circumstances of the client, and the circumstances under which the interviews occur.

e. Information to be provided to the client during initial interviews includes, but is not limited to:

i. the role of counsel and the scope of representation, an explanation of the attorney-client privilege, the importance of maintaining contact with counsel, and instructions not to talk to anyone, including other inmates, about the facts of the case or matters relevant to the sentencing hearing without first consulting with the attorney;

ii. describing the other persons who are members of the defense team, how and when counsel or other appropriate members of the defense team can be contacted and when counsel or other members of the defense team will see the client next;

iii. a general overview of the procedural posture and likely progression of the case, an explanation of the charges, potential penalties, and available defenses;

iv. what arrangements will be made or attempted for the satisfaction of the clients most pressing needs; e.g., medical or mental health attention, contact with family or employers;

v. realistic answers, where possible, to the clients most urgent questions;

vi. an explanation of the availability, likelihood, and procedures that will be followed in setting the conditions of pretrial release; and

vii. a detailed warning of the dangers with regard to the search of client's cell and personal belongings while in custody, and the fact that conversations with other inmates, telephone calls, mail, and visitations may be monitored by jail officials. The client should also be warned of the prevalence and danger presented by jailhouse informants making false allegations of confessions by high profile prisoners and advised of the strategies the client can employ to protect himself from such false allegations.

f. Information that should be acquired as soon as appropriate from the client includes, but may not be limited to:

i. the client's immediate medical needs and any prescription medications the client is currently taking, has been prescribed or might require;

ii. whether the client has any pending proceedings, charges, or outstanding warrants in or from other jurisdictions or agencies (and the identity of any other appointed or retained counsel);

iii. the ability of the client to meet any financial conditions of release or afford an attorney;

iv. the existence of potential sources of important information which counsel might need to act immediately to obtain and/or preserve.

g. Appreciating the unique pressure placed upon capital defendants and the extremely sensitive nature of the enquiries that counsel must make, counsel should exercise great caution in seeking to explore the details of either the alleged offense or matters of personal history until a relationship of trust and confidence has been established that will permit full and frank disclosure.

h. Where possible, counsel should obtain from the client signed release forms necessary to obtain clients medical, psychological, education, military, prison, and other records as may be pertinent.

i. Counsel should observe, and consider arranging for, documentation of any marks or wounds pertinent to the case, and secure and document any transient physical evidence.

La. Admin. Code tit. 22, § XV-1905

Promulgated by the Office of the Governor, Public Defender Board, LR 4155 (1/1/2015).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 15:148.