California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Fuller, B255773 (Cal. App. 2015):
To prevail on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, a criminal defendant must show by a preponderance of the evidence that: (1) counsel's representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness under prevailing professional norms; and (2) defendant was prejudiced as a result (i.e. a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different). (People v. Ledesma (1987) 43 Cal.3d 171, 217-218.) When the record on appeal sheds no light on the reason for counsel's act or omission, an ineffective assistance of counsel claim must be rejected unless there can be no satisfactory explanation for counsel's act or omission. (Id. at p. 219.)
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