Strickland Test

The Strickland Test is a legal guideline used to evaluate whether a defendant's right to a fair trial was violated due to ineffective legal representation. It involves two parts: first, determining if the lawyer’s performance was so poor that it affected the case’s outcome; second, showing that the defendant was prejudiced by this poor performance. If both parts are satisfied, the conviction may be overturned. Essentially, it checks if the attorney’s mistakes were serious enough to impact the fairness of the trial, protecting defendants’ rights to competent legal counsel.