State v. Chester C., 2009AP2824, District I, 5/4/10 court of appeals decision (1-judge; not for publication); for Chester C.: Dianne M. Erickson TPR – Effective Assistance of Counsel Failure to demonstrate prejudice within the meaning of Strickland dooms this ineffective-assistance claim that trial counsel failed to object to various hearsay statements: ¶7 Other than complaining… Read more
2. Counsel
court of appeals decision (1-judge, not for publication); for Keri H.: Leonard D. Kachinski IAC Claim – TPR “The decision not to emphasize events preceding the current termination petitions was a reasonable strategic choice and does not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel,” ¶11. Separately: counsel did not perform deficiently in his efforts to obtain Keri… Read more
court of appeals decision TPR – Forfeiture of Jury Trial Failure to appear at initial hearing and make timely request forfeited right to jury trial; trial court’s ultimate refusal to enter default judgment “did not return the case to the initial hearing stage or reinstate Luis’s right to a jury trial”; nor did filing of… Read more
State v. Shirley E., 2006 WI 129, affirming 2006 WI App 55 Issue: “(W)hether a circuit court may deny a parent in a termination of parental rights proceeding the statutory right to counsel when the parent has appeared in the proceeding but failed to personally attend a hearing in contravention of a court order and… Read more
State v. Shirley E., 2006 WI 129, affirming 2006 WI App 55 ¶57 The State also argues that Shirley E., a parent over 18 years of age, has waived her right to counsel by not appearing personally. We can quickly dismiss this argument. Wisconsin Stat. § 48.23(2) explicitly requires that any waiver of counsel must be… Read more
Dane County DHS v. Susan P.S., 2006 WI App 100, PFR filed 5/15/06 Issue/Holding: Holding the dispositional hearing beyond the 45-day time limit set by § 48.424(4) did not deprive the trial court of competency to proceed, where good cause existed for continuance under § 48.315(2), namely that the respondent’s attorney was going to be… Read more
Dane County DHS v. Susan P.S., 2006 WI App 100, PFR filed 5/15/06 (published) Issue/Holding1: The same “self-representation competency standards developed in … criminal cases” applies to TPRs, ¶¶9-16. Standards summarized, ¶¶17-23. Though much of this recitation is fairly abstract, the following embellishment of Pickens v. State, 96 Wis. 2d 549, 292 N.W.2d 601 (1980) may be… Read more
