California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from The People v. Dominguez, F057099, No. 1104921 (Cal. App. 2010):
interest that undermines counsel's loyalty to his or her client. [Citations.] 'It has long been held that under both Constitutions, a defendant is deprived of his or her constitutional right to the assistance of counsel in certain circumstances when, despite the physical presence of a defense attorney at trial, that attorney labored under a conflict of interest that compromised his or her loyalty to the defendant.' [Citation.] 'As a general proposition, such conflicts "embrace all situations in which an attorney's loyalty to, or efforts on behalf of, a client are threatened by his responsibilities to another client or a third person or his own interests. [Citation.]"' [Citations.]" (People v. Doolin (2009) 45 Cal.4th 390, 417; accord, People v. Bonin, supra, 47 Cal.3d at p. 835.)
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.