Elaine Whitfield Sharp is a fantastic lawyer with a keen sense of forensic issues.  I have worked with her on three cases (criminal and civil) and would not hesitate to work with her again.  She is marvelous!

I was in the middle of a murder trial when I got the feeling that something the medical examiner had testified about a bullet wound just wasn’t right. I called Elaine about it that evening, and she reviewed the autopsy report with me and helped me find the one measurement in the report that proved the untruthfulness of the State’s fact witnesses. Thanks to Elaine, we knew that the complainant hadn’t died the way the State said he had and that there was forensic proof that showed the client acted in self defense. Mark Bennett, Bennett & Bennett Houston, Texas

I had the good fortune of being introduced to Elaine Sharp when I was starting down the long road of defending a young man accused of child abuse based upon the shaken baby syndrome concept. The guidance and aid I received from Elaine was invaluable, and formed an enormous part of the defense which resulted in my client’s acquittal. Elaine was able to help me line up witnesses to evaluate the case and present an opinion at trial. She saved me time and my client money by being able to evaluate the case accurately and then to go directly to the witnesses who would best serve my client. Elaine authored a Rule 702 (Frye-Daubert) motion, which was presented in our local district court. The brief was very well written from both the viewpoint of style and content. As an aside, Elaine’s prior experience as a journalist has resulted in an … Continue reading →

I had the bad fortune one morning to get a telephone call from a dear friend who’s brother had been arrested for attempted murder for allegedly shaking is four month old son, who was critically ill. I did not know where to turn. Fortunately, the Louise Woodward case was still in the news, and a friend referred me to Elaine Whitfield Sharp who had particular expertise in the area of head injuries. Elaine was most generous with her time. I drove to Marblehead several times to consult with her on the science, and”how to cross-examine a state’s expert. She shared most generously with her work product, her time, her collection of professional literature, and transcripts. She is a virtual “how to” guide in learning to defend these serious cases with clients who are at the most vulnerable. Elaine entered her appearance as co-counsel, and we prepared this case as if … Continue reading →

When your case is at the intersection of science and the criminal law, there can be no better with whom to navigate the intersection than Boston-area attorney Elaine Whitfield Sharp. Elaine has a way of placing the record under the a microscope and finding meaningful ways to disassemble the junk science and assumptions that so often underlie the government’s case. Elaine’s personal and professional credibility with many of the nation’s top experts open avenues that are otherwise difficult to open. Elaine has a personal policy of not taking a case to trial unless she believes the client is innocent. The experts, many of whom are physicians who have taken the Hippocratic Oath, know of Elaine’s position. In my case, we began with a charge of first-degree murder arising out of an alleged shaken baby. A host of physicians testified that the baby was violently shaken and my client’s confession confirmed … Continue reading →

In 1999, I contacted Elaine Whitfield Sharp to discuss a criminal case that I was handling. My client had been indicted for capital murder for the death of his four month old infant daughter – it was a shaken baby case. Elaine became involved with our defense of the case immediately – her presence impacted the case in a strong and positive way. She had ample resources and information at her disposal, particularly as it concerned the medical issues involved in defending a shaken baby case. She helped us ferret out potentially weak defenses (for example, the likelihood or not of hemorrhage caused from a particular kind of immunizations) and focus instead on a medically sound defense of the charges. In addition to providing assistance in retaining nationally renowned expert witnesses, Elaine drafted a motion to suppress an in-custody confession. The issue concerned the applicability of the ADA to the … Continue reading →

I spoke with the County District Attorney who handled the John Doe appeal who stated ‘I spent days reading the transcripts, and I don’t think there is a lawyer in the United States who could have cross-examined the medical experts as well as Elaine Sharp’. But for Elaine’s expertise in the field of medical forensics, John Doe, in my opinion, would have been convicted of first degree murder. John Doe and I will never forget you! Warner Eisenbise P.A., Attorney at Law Wichita, Kansas

Elaine selflessly and caringly advised and brainstormed with me for my first time defending against a shaken baby accusation. She knows that too many doctors jump all too quickly to erroneous conclusions of shaken baby syndrome, and that they too often conclude that any unconsciousness immediately follows the injury . Elaine knows how to fight the dual beast of wrongheaded medical and prosecutorial accusations of shaken baby syndrome, by thoroughly going through the medical and factual evidence that the prosecutors and their hired doctors too often miss. With Elaine’s advice, I convinced my client’s judge to slash his bond dramatically, so that he spent less than a week in jail pretrial. In setting the lower bond, the judge remarked that he had taken into account the case I had made about the medical evidence supporting the reasonable doubt existing in my client’s case. Thanks, Elaine, for quickly and skillfully helping … Continue reading →

I was court-appointed to represent a mother of three children including her new born son. She had tested positive for THC but the new born tested negative. It was my desire to prevent the drug test from being introduced into evidence. Elaine provided me with a very well written brief detailing the relevant national case law. Her assistance was wonderful and played a role in my client’s victory. She has now been re-united with her children. Scott Ray Oklahoma

In a few words, Elaine Sharp is nothing less than an extraordinary attorney. She has the rare ability to master obscure terminology relating to medical issues, work with experts and challenge others in support of her client, and to prove that things are not always as they may appear to be. At the same time Ms. Sharp has a compassionate outlook as to the personal circumstances of her clients; she displays particular sensitivity to the needs of children and young adults who are injured or accused of causing in. jury to another. It was my pleasure to work with Ms. Sharp on a matter where all of those talents were exhibited by Ms. Sharp, and where her diligent efforts were successful in obtaining a just result. David L. Nace, Attorney at Law Washington, D.C.