In David Roth and Gerald Richman, legal observers agree that disgraced former congressman Mark Foley has retained two of the most capable lawyers in Palm Beach County, Fla., to guide him through an obstacle course of possible criminal and civil liability that may arise from his conduct with young congressional pages.
But at the same time, other South Florida attorneys who earn their livings trying to shield clients from jail terms and financial penalties wonder whether Foley and his advisers made the right choice by going public with the news that the former lawmaker is an alcoholic who was abused as a child.
