US Supreme Court Ruling Standards of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Apply to Plea Bargaining Stage of a Case. The right to counsel of choice looks to the accused's belief who can best represent him, not the ultimate fairness of the trial.Find out if it's legal to force you to accept a plea deal in Ohiocontact our lawyers if you are pressured to take one. A successful claim of ineffective assistance requires two things. First, your lawyer must have failed to follow professional standards while representing you. Discover Ohio's ineffective assistance of counsel standards for a claim involving trial, appellate, or plea agreement counsel. Our criminal defense lawyers are skilled post-conviction relief attorneys. We'll review your rights, what steps you need to take to assert those rights. Discover Ohio's ineffective assistance of counsel standards for a claim involving trial, appellate, or plea agreement counsel. This Court has been clear: Defendants are entitled to effective assistance of competent counsel during plea negotiations.