United States Fourth Circuit

Where attorneys schooled defendant on evasion in the aftermath of her crime, in order to guarantee their own fee, then used the attorney-client relationship at trial to cover their role, the resulting conflict of interest was a denial of effective assistance of counsel.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/30/2001
• Decided 06/05/2002
• Published 06/05/2002

Judges

• Before WILKINSON, Chief Judge, MOTZ, Circuit Judge, and HOWARD, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Gary Eugene Bair, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Appeals Division, Office of the Attorney General, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellants.  Fred Warren Bennett, Bennett & Nathans, L.L.P., Greenbelt, Maryland, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  J. Joseph Curran, Jr., Attorney General of Maryland, Criminal Appeals Division, Office of the Attorney General, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellants.  Michael E. Lawlor, Bennett & Nathans, L.L.P., Greenbelt, Maryland, for Appellee.