The Right to Two Criminal Defense Lawyers

23 Pages Posted: 9 May 2018

See all articles by Bruce A. Green

Bruce A. Green

Fordham University School of Law

Date Written: May 7, 2018

Abstract

In conjunction with a symposium on “disruptive innovation in criminal defense,” this article proposes that indigent defendants be assigned two lawyers each of whom would have primary responsibility for different functions – the “settlement lawyer” would have responsibility for the counseling and negotiating roles while the “trial lawyer” would be the principal advocate. The proposal to divide defense representation between two lawyers, as a potential “disruptive innovation”, provides an occasion to consider various problems associated with indigent defense apart from underfunding and excessive caseloads. These problems relate to how some defense lawyers think about and structure their work, where they choose to direct their energy and how they prioritize their time, how they respond to incentives, preferences and even unconscious motivations, and how they relate to prosecutors, clients or others in the criminal process. Whether or not a right to two lawyers is realistically achievable, the proposal provides a vehicle for contemplating deficiencies in criminal defense representation and potential responses.

Suggested Citation

Green, Bruce A., The Right to Two Criminal Defense Lawyers (May 7, 2018). Published with permission of Mercer Law Review. Mercer Law Review Vol. 69, No. 3, Spring 2018, Forthcoming, Fordham Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3174919, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3174919

Bruce A. Green (Contact Author)

Fordham University School of Law ( email )

140 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023
United States
212-636-6851 (Phone)
212-636-6899 (Fax)

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