Taffner v. Arkansas Department of Human Services

I agree with the majority’s holdings on the issues in this case with the exception of the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel. I would reverse the circuit court’s order terminating parental rights and remand this case , to the circuit court for a new adjudication hearing.

In Jones v. Arkansas Department of Human Services, 361 Ark. 164, 205 S.W.3d 778 (2005), this court held that, as a matter of law, the right to counsel in parental-termination |2ncases includes the right to. effective counsel. We adopted the standard set forth by.the United States Supreme Court in Strickland v.…