COLLINS, Justice.
Petitioner, Michael Tribou, appeals from an order of the Superior Court (Kennebec County; Brody, J.) denying post-conviction relief on his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. On appeal petitioner argues that the post-conviction justice erroneously concluded that he was not deprived of the effective assistance of counsel during his trial on charges of murder and attempted murder. With regard to both charges, he cites his counsel’s failure to call a psychologist as a witness at the suppression hearing. With regard to the charge of murder, he contends that he was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel by his trial counsel’s failure to request an instruction on adequate provocation manslaughter (17-A M.R.S.A. § 203(1)(B)) and his counsel’s failure to appeal the omission of such an instruction. Because we find both claims to be without merit, we affirm the judgment of the Superior Court.
In the underlying criminal proceeding, petitioner was charged with murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault. After jury trial, he was convicted of murder and aggravated assault and those convictions were affirmed on direct appeal. State v. Tribou, 488 A.2d 472 (Me.1985). The facts developed at trial were summarized on direct appeal as follows:
In the late night of September 28, 1983, defendant shot Richard Cote and Mary Tribou with a .41 revolver. Mary Tribou survived the shooting, but Mr. Cote died of his wounds. At the time of the shooting, Mr. Cote and Mary Tribou were dancing together at the Courthouse Lounge in Waterville.
Defendant had been married to Mary Tribou for approximately two years and was divorced on September 8,1983. The record contains evidence that defendant continued to have contact with Mary Tribou after the divorce, and that defendant was jealous of other men, including Mr. Cote, who socialized with Ms. Tribou. On the night of the shooting while driving Ms. Tribou to the Courthouse Lounge, defendant told her that he wanted her to stop seeing Mr. Cote. Defendant also advised his ex-wife that she could “fast dance” but was not to engage in “slow dancing” with anyone.
[1264]*1264The Tribous arrived at the Courthouse Lounge shortly after 10:00 p.m. Ms. Tribou left defendant to talk to Mr. Cote. Defendant asked his ex-wife to leave with him. When she refused to go he said he was “going home to kill myself.” Before leaving, however, defendant broke the windshield of Mr. Cote’s truck.
Defendant drove home, but he testified that he does not remember the actual trip. Before reaching the trailer, where he lived, defendant stopped at a convenience store. Next, he talked briefly with his mother at his trailer and rested for a few minutes on his bed. Defendant then returned to the Courthouse Lounge.
When defendant arrived at the Courthouse Lounge, he talked to Mr. Cote about paying for the broken windshield. Defendant also made several unsuccessful attempts to speak to Ms. Tribou after which she and Mr. Cote began to dance to a song she requested, called “Between the Sheets.” Defendant testified that “Mary was looking at me with her head on his shoulder smiling, something, and then I just remember I — her squeezing him and putting her head down and I — I am not sure what it was. I just remember a weird feeling ... a weird feeling, that sunken, tight feeling.” Defendant stated that he remembered neither the shooting nor most of his attempted escape.
Witnesses to the shooting testified that defendant walked close to the dance floor, reached under his jacket and pulled out a gun, and shot Mr. Cote in the back from about six feet away and then shot Ms. Tribou in the leg while she was lying on the floor. After the shooting defendant moved quickly to a rear exit, got in his car, and drove away.
State v. Tribou, 488 A.2d at 473-74. Following his conviction at trial and an unsuccessful appeal, petitioner filed the present action seeking post-conviction review pursuant to 15 M.R.S.A. §§ 2121-2132 (Supp.1987).
Article I, Section 6, of the Maine Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantee a defendant in a criminal prosecution the right to effective assistance of counsel. Smith v. Robbins, 328 F.Supp. 162, 164 (D.Me.1971); Lang v. Murch, 438 A.2d 914, 916 (Me.1981). In Lang we concluded that, to guarantee this right, both the state and federal constitutions require a standard of “reasonably competent assistance” under which we inquire:
(1) Has there been serious incompetency, inefficiency or inattention of counsel —performance by counsel which falls measurably below that which might be expected from an ordinary fallible attorney? and (2) Has such ineffective representation by counsel likely deprived the defendant of an otherwise substantial ground of defense?
Id. (citing Commonwealth v. Saferian, 366 Mass. 89, 96, 315 N.E.2d 878, 883 (1974)).
In True v. State, 457 A.2d 793 (Me.1983), we recognized that the Lang standard was meant to be applied on a case-by-case basis with the realization that
the defense attorney’s function consists in large part, of the application of professional judgment to an infinite variety of decisions ... a determination whether any given action or omission by counsel amounted to ineffective assistance cannot be divorced from consideration of the peculiar facts and circumstances that influenced counsel’s judgment.
Id. (quoting United States v. DeCoster, 624 F.2d 196, 203 (D.C.Cir.1976)). We also noted that the task of formulating strategy is an area of judgment that readily lends itself to criticism based on hindsight. Id. at 796. Furthermore, we have stated that “improvident strategy [and] bad tactics, ... do not necessarily amount to ineffective assistance,” State v. Sinclair, 236 A.2d 66, 67-68 (Me.1967) and “effective assistance ... does not require that counsel’s performance be without errors.” True, 457 A.2d at 796. Thus, we have adopted a deferential standard in reviewing such tactical decisions and require that a defendant show that a judgment is “manifestly unreasonable.” Id. We will not overturn a post-conviction court’s determination as to the effectiveness of trial counsel unless it is clearly erroneous and there [1265]*1265is no competent evidence in the record to support it. Conner v. State, 543 A.2d 819, 820-821 (Me.1988) (citing True, 457 A.2d at 795.)
In the case at hand, petitioner has failed to meet his initial burden of showing that there was deficiency in the performance of trial counsel. Id. at 797. With regard to the first claim, petitioner’s counsel testified that he met with Dr. Robinson five times and provided Dr. Robinson with all the discovery that counsel had received.
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COLLINS, Justice.
Petitioner, Michael Tribou, appeals from an order of the Superior Court (Kennebec County; Brody, J.) denying post-conviction relief on his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. On appeal petitioner argues that the post-conviction justice erroneously concluded that he was not deprived of the effective assistance of counsel during his trial on charges of murder and attempted murder. With regard to both charges, he cites his counsel’s failure to call a psychologist as a witness at the suppression hearing. With regard to the charge of murder, he contends that he was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel by his trial counsel’s failure to request an instruction on adequate provocation manslaughter (17-A M.R.S.A. § 203(1)(B)) and his counsel’s failure to appeal the omission of such an instruction. Because we find both claims to be without merit, we affirm the judgment of the Superior Court.
In the underlying criminal proceeding, petitioner was charged with murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault. After jury trial, he was convicted of murder and aggravated assault and those convictions were affirmed on direct appeal. State v. Tribou, 488 A.2d 472 (Me.1985). The facts developed at trial were summarized on direct appeal as follows:
In the late night of September 28, 1983, defendant shot Richard Cote and Mary Tribou with a .41 revolver. Mary Tribou survived the shooting, but Mr. Cote died of his wounds. At the time of the shooting, Mr. Cote and Mary Tribou were dancing together at the Courthouse Lounge in Waterville.
Defendant had been married to Mary Tribou for approximately two years and was divorced on September 8,1983. The record contains evidence that defendant continued to have contact with Mary Tribou after the divorce, and that defendant was jealous of other men, including Mr. Cote, who socialized with Ms. Tribou. On the night of the shooting while driving Ms. Tribou to the Courthouse Lounge, defendant told her that he wanted her to stop seeing Mr. Cote. Defendant also advised his ex-wife that she could “fast dance” but was not to engage in “slow dancing” with anyone.
[1264]*1264The Tribous arrived at the Courthouse Lounge shortly after 10:00 p.m. Ms. Tribou left defendant to talk to Mr. Cote. Defendant asked his ex-wife to leave with him. When she refused to go he said he was “going home to kill myself.” Before leaving, however, defendant broke the windshield of Mr. Cote’s truck.
Defendant drove home, but he testified that he does not remember the actual trip. Before reaching the trailer, where he lived, defendant stopped at a convenience store. Next, he talked briefly with his mother at his trailer and rested for a few minutes on his bed. Defendant then returned to the Courthouse Lounge.
When defendant arrived at the Courthouse Lounge, he talked to Mr. Cote about paying for the broken windshield. Defendant also made several unsuccessful attempts to speak to Ms. Tribou after which she and Mr. Cote began to dance to a song she requested, called “Between the Sheets.” Defendant testified that “Mary was looking at me with her head on his shoulder smiling, something, and then I just remember I — her squeezing him and putting her head down and I — I am not sure what it was. I just remember a weird feeling ... a weird feeling, that sunken, tight feeling.” Defendant stated that he remembered neither the shooting nor most of his attempted escape.
Witnesses to the shooting testified that defendant walked close to the dance floor, reached under his jacket and pulled out a gun, and shot Mr. Cote in the back from about six feet away and then shot Ms. Tribou in the leg while she was lying on the floor. After the shooting defendant moved quickly to a rear exit, got in his car, and drove away.
State v. Tribou, 488 A.2d at 473-74. Following his conviction at trial and an unsuccessful appeal, petitioner filed the present action seeking post-conviction review pursuant to 15 M.R.S.A. §§ 2121-2132 (Supp.1987).
Article I, Section 6, of the Maine Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantee a defendant in a criminal prosecution the right to effective assistance of counsel. Smith v. Robbins, 328 F.Supp. 162, 164 (D.Me.1971); Lang v. Murch, 438 A.2d 914, 916 (Me.1981). In Lang we concluded that, to guarantee this right, both the state and federal constitutions require a standard of “reasonably competent assistance” under which we inquire:
(1) Has there been serious incompetency, inefficiency or inattention of counsel —performance by counsel which falls measurably below that which might be expected from an ordinary fallible attorney? and (2) Has such ineffective representation by counsel likely deprived the defendant of an otherwise substantial ground of defense?
Id. (citing Commonwealth v. Saferian, 366 Mass. 89, 96, 315 N.E.2d 878, 883 (1974)).
In True v. State, 457 A.2d 793 (Me.1983), we recognized that the Lang standard was meant to be applied on a case-by-case basis with the realization that
the defense attorney’s function consists in large part, of the application of professional judgment to an infinite variety of decisions ... a determination whether any given action or omission by counsel amounted to ineffective assistance cannot be divorced from consideration of the peculiar facts and circumstances that influenced counsel’s judgment.
Id. (quoting United States v. DeCoster, 624 F.2d 196, 203 (D.C.Cir.1976)). We also noted that the task of formulating strategy is an area of judgment that readily lends itself to criticism based on hindsight. Id. at 796. Furthermore, we have stated that “improvident strategy [and] bad tactics, ... do not necessarily amount to ineffective assistance,” State v. Sinclair, 236 A.2d 66, 67-68 (Me.1967) and “effective assistance ... does not require that counsel’s performance be without errors.” True, 457 A.2d at 796. Thus, we have adopted a deferential standard in reviewing such tactical decisions and require that a defendant show that a judgment is “manifestly unreasonable.” Id. We will not overturn a post-conviction court’s determination as to the effectiveness of trial counsel unless it is clearly erroneous and there [1265]*1265is no competent evidence in the record to support it. Conner v. State, 543 A.2d 819, 820-821 (Me.1988) (citing True, 457 A.2d at 795.)
In the case at hand, petitioner has failed to meet his initial burden of showing that there was deficiency in the performance of trial counsel. Id. at 797. With regard to the first claim, petitioner’s counsel testified that he met with Dr. Robinson five times and provided Dr. Robinson with all the discovery that counsel had received. On the basis of these meetings, the discovery, and evaluations of petitioner, Dr. Robinson concluded that he had nothing to add to counsel’s theory at the suppression hearing — that there was no way petitioner could have voluntarily, knowingly, or intelligently waived his Miranda rights. Thus, petitioner’s counsel decided not to call Dr. Robinson to testify.
With regard to the second claim, petitioner’s counsel testified that he requested an instruction on adequate provocation which was denied. He further testified that he argued extensively and in good faith to the trial justice that the facts of this case did generate adequate provocation. However, he also testified that he could find no law to support adequate provocation on these facts and thus “[i]t was not raised on appeal, because I guess in my own personal judgment we had very, very little to argue on that.” Given the facts that petitioner did not testify that he was acting under the influence of extreme anger, that the alleged provocateur was Mary Tribou, no longer married to petitioner, dancing in a public place, and that there was no provocation on the part of the victim, Richard Cote, we cannot conclude that the strategy employed by defense counsel was “manifestly unreasonable.” Thus, the finding of the Superior Court in that regard is not clearly erroneous.
The entry is:
Judgment affirmed.
McKUSICK, C.J., and ROBERTS, CLIFFORD and HORNBY, JJ., concurring.