Discover New Jersey's ineffective assistance of counsel standards for a claim involving trial, appellate, or plea agreement counsel. You can file a petition asking the appellate division to certify the case for transfer to the Court of Appeal.Claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel shall be raised exclusively on direct appeal of a final judgment or order. Some courts have recognized that ineffective assistance also can be raised on direct appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). A defendant who wishes to prove that he had incompetent or ineffective counsel at trial does not have an easy road to hoe in convincing the trial judge. 18. In a New York claim, courts have said that an Article 440 motion is usually the correct way to raise an ineffective assistance of counsel claim. The appeal process is complicated and difficult to navigate. Call our team of California criminal appeals lawyers for a FREE consultation. Ineffective assistance of counsel is something that would be argued when filing postconviction relief. How to fill the forms out and who to send them to.