ACLU Blog .... "one of the biggest predictors of who gets sentenced to death has nothing to do with relevant factors such as the heinousness of the crime, the culpability of the accused, or the life history of the accused. Rather, the quality of the lawyer representing the accused very often predicts who lives and who dies..."
http://www.aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/jerry-guerinot-most-dangerous-defense-attorney-ever