Two lawyers who helped deflate rumors of John Edwards' affair had ties to him.

New York attorney Robert Gordon represented Rielle Hunter, while Washington lawyer Pamela Marple worked for Andrew Young, the purported father of Hunter's child.

Statements issued by the two attorneys independently in late 2007 seemed to put to rest the story of an affair then printed in the National Enquirer.

Both lawyers have worked with Fred Baron, a wealthy Dallas lawyer and former finance chairman for the Edwards campaign. Gordon worked with Baron on class-action personal injury cases and Marple helped defend a lawsuit brought against both men by an asbestos manufacturer.

Baron has given conflicting reports of what he knew about how the two lawyers came to represent Hunter and Young. (NYT)