Ineffective Assistance of Counsel – Plea Agreement Violation

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WI Court of Appeals – District I

Case Name: State of Wisconsin v. Clifton Lee Williams, Jr.

Case No.: 2016AP1044

Officials: Brennan, P.J., Kessler and Dugan, JJ.

Focus: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel – Plea Agreement Violation

Clifton Lee Williams, Jr., pro se, appeals from an order denying his collateral attack on a judgment convicting him of one count of second-degree reckless homicide, as a party to a crime, and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. Williams argues that: (1) he should have been convicted of two charges, not three charges, because he entered guilty pleas to only two charges; (2) his plea agreement was void as a matter of public policy; (3) trial counsel ineffectively represented him by failing to advise him that the plea agreement was void as a matter of public policy; (4) the prosecutor violated the plea agreement by recommending the maximum sentence; (5) the plea colloquy was deficient; (6) he was sentenced on the basis of inaccurate information; and (7) postconviction counsel provided him ineffective assistance during his direct appeal by failing to raise these issues. We reject Williams’s arguments. Accordingly, we affirm.

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.