The Staton Jones Report

Gotta love those GOP. While they're busy bashing John Edwards for being a trial lawyer, they turn out to have a "love child" lawyer themselves, James E. Sharp. Yes, Mr. Sharp has the fine distinction of being President Bush's counsel if (and when) he gets dragged before a Grand Jury and at the same time, he's Ken "Kenny Boy" Lay's defense attorney. Before he took on these two stellar clients, he represented Mr. Magruder of the Watergate scandal.

"He's an absolutely superb trial lawyer, but as good as it he is, he's a very private guy," said Tom Mills, managing partner of the Washington office of the law firm, Winston & Strawn, where Mr. Sharp worked several years ago. "From the president's standpoint, he was a superb choice. From Jim's standpoint, he probably loves the client but hates that he raises his profile."

...

Mr. Sharp, however, has been entirely nonpolitical in giving his time and expertise. During the Watergate scandal of the 1970's, Mr. Sharp represented Mr. Magruder, the deputy director of President Richard M. Nixon's re-election campaign who was charged with obstruction of justice and was sentenced to four years in prison. He served less than a year.

Mr. Magruder was so appreciative of Mr. Sharp's counsel that he thanked him with an acknowledgement at the beginning of his 1974 book "An American Life: One Man's Road To Watergate."