Attorney James Neal, Watergate Prosecuter, dies
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Outside the courtroom, James F. Neal had an amiable, backslapping way with friends and foes alike. Inside the chamber, the face of one of America's greatest trial lawyers often became fixed in a steely gaze.
The attorney who regularly grabbed national headlines - whether prosecuting Jimmy Hoffa or key Watergate figures, or defending Elvis Presley's doctor or the Exxon Corp. after the Alaska oil spill - died Thursday night. He was 81.
Law partner Aubrey Harwell said Friday that Neal died at a Nashville hospital after a monthslong battle against cancer.
In the words of Fred Thompson, already a lawyer in real life before he became one on TV, "Jim Neal was the greatest trial lawyer of his time."
The rest of the Obit here
The attorney who regularly grabbed national headlines - whether prosecuting Jimmy Hoffa or key Watergate figures, or defending Elvis Presley's doctor or the Exxon Corp. after the Alaska oil spill - died Thursday night. He was 81.
Law partner Aubrey Harwell said Friday that Neal died at a Nashville hospital after a monthslong battle against cancer.
In the words of Fred Thompson, already a lawyer in real life before he became one on TV, "Jim Neal was the greatest trial lawyer of his time."
The rest of the Obit here