The American Bar Association has granted reapproval to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s legal assistant majors, one of only 14 programs in Pennsylvania to be recognized in that fashion.

The college’s School of Business and Computer Technologies recently was notified of the action by the ABA’s House of Delegates, which follows a successful site visit early last fall and a recommendation by the association’s Standing Committee on Paralegals.

“This notification reaffirms the high quality of the instruction, advising, work-based experiences and job placement provided by our paralegal studies faculty and college for our certificate and associate- and bachelor-degree-seeking students,” said Edward A. Henninger, dean of the school.

Penn College offers a bachelor’s degree in legal assistant/paralegal studies, an associate degree in legal assistant/paralegal and a certificate in nurse/health care paralegal studies. Its curriculum provides students with a mix of essential courses and instruction in specialized areas of the law, providing the background for successful employment in a rapidly growing field.

“American Bar Association approval of paralegal programs is a very rigorous process culminating in a two-day on-site review by an ABA team,” noted Kevin R. Derr, professor of legal assistant in the School of Business and Computer Technologies. “The process involves a thorough review of the paralegal program’s curriculum, faculty credentials, library sources, facility, student services and administration. The process is important to us as an indicator that we meet the very demanding standards set by the national organization, which reviews programs throughout the country.”

All paralegal courses in Penn College’s program, which has been ABA-approved since 1994, are taught by licensed attorneys. Students complete a required internship in a law firm, government agency or law-related office. (Paralegals work under the supervision of licensed attorneys and are prohibited from practicing law.)

A State Department press release late yesterday afternoon said only he was leaving for "personal reasons".

On Thursday, Tobias told ABC News that he had several times called the "Pamela Martin and Associates" escort service "to have gals come over to the condo to give me a massage".

Tobias' private cell number was among thousands of numbers listed in the telephone records provided to ABC News by Jeane Palfrey, the woman dubbed the "DC Madam", who is facing the federal charges.

In an interview to be broadcast by the network next Friday, Palfrey says she intends to call Tobias and a number of her other prominent DC clients to testify at her trial. 

Jerry Clements, the current managing partner, said the firm is not concerned about possible political fallout from Miers' work at the White House or as a Supreme Court nominee when conservatives questioned her credentials.

Clements said that was viewed as "nothing more than politics."

The firm also hopes the 48-year-old Prince George's County resident will raise its profile in political Washington.

"As the issuance of Congressional subpoenas continues to surge, Michael will also play a lead role in providing counsel to elected officials and executives brought before Congress," the statement said.

Steele is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University Law Center. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in June 1992 but let his law license expire during his four-year term as lieutenant governor. He renewed March 1, paying a $375 fee, according to the Pennsylvania's Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court.

Steele, a former head of the Maryland Republican Party, has not practiced law in more than a decade. He worked for six years after law school in the Washington office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. He told The (Baltimore) Sun in 2002 that he left the firm when he realized he would not make partner.

Dorsey & Whitney is headquartered in Minneapolis, and has offices in other cities, including Des Moines, where Vilsack will work. He had a law practice in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where Vilsack was mayor and a state senator before becoming governor.

"I extend my sincere gratitude to Chuck Rosenberg who stepped in to serve the Department admirably during a challenging transitional period," said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. "I am very pleased that Kevin has agreed to serve as my Chief of Staff. He is an outstanding lawyer and as U.S. Attorney in Connecticut demonstrated that he is a strong manager and leader."

Mr. O'Connor was appointed by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Connecticut's 48th U.S. Attorney in 2002. In January 2006, Mr. O'Connor also began serving in the Department's headquarters as the Associate Deputy Attorney General to oversee violent crime and gang-related policy initiatives for the Department.

Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Mr. O'Connor was a partner in the law firm of Day, Berry & Howard in Hartford, Conn. Mr. O'Connor also served as Corporation Counsel for the Town of West Hartford, Conn. from 1999 to 2001.

From 1995 to 1997, Mr. O'Connor served as Staff Attorney and Senior Counsel in the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. O'Connor was a litigation associate with the law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York City. From 1992 to 1993, Mr. O'Connor served as a law clerk to the Honorable William H. Timbers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.

He is a 1992 graduate, with high honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law and a 1989 graduate, with honors, from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. O'Connor will remain the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. After four to six months, he and the Attorney General will determine whether he continues to hold both positions.

Orwig says he began looking for a job with a private firm prior to the controversy involving the Department of Justice and eight U.S. Attorneys who claim they were removed for political reasons.

He says the move to a private firm is the best decision for his family.

"I have two children in college with a third soon to join them," Orwig told KFDM News in a telephone conversation Friday afternoon. "A move to private practice was inevitable."

Orwig officially took office as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas on January 13, 2002.