You need to tell the court that your public defender has not talked to you and ask the court to relieve the PD's office and appoint other counsel. You can make a motion for ineffective assistance of counsel during your trial if you feel that your lawyer is not performing their duties.Strictly speaking, ineffective counsel (or ineffective assistance of counsel) is NOT a civil claim. Instead, he must show that his lawyer did not know what he or she was doing and that this bad lawyering materially affected the case. In that case, no affidavit from counsel was needed. For ineffective assistance of appellate counsel (IAAC) claims, the appellate court's website may be helpful. Parents in these cases could assert ineffectiveassistanceofcounsel claims against retained counsel. 7 The Cannon court suggested that the trial court can admonish the defendant and ask if he is waiving his right to effective counsel. Significantly, prior to filing any claim of ineffective assistance, writ counsel must engage in a thorough and complete investigation. Counsel only where the indigent, if he is unsuccessful, may lose his personal freedom.