[JURIST] The White House has increased the size of its legal team to deal with continued requests from Democratic congressmembers investigating the US attorney scandal [JURIST news archive], prewar intelligence, and other questions, according to Friday reports. White House counsel Fred Fielding [official press release], who replaced Harriet Miers [JURIST news archive] in January, has created several new positions as well as filling pre-existing empty job slots [press release], bringing the White House legal staff to 22.

Among the new hires is J. Michael Farren [Forbes profile], a former corporate vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Xerox Corp [corporate website], who will assume the position of deputy vice counsel. William Burck, former counselor to the assistant attorney general for the criminal division at the Department of Justice [official website], and Williams & Connolly [firm website] partner Emmet Flood were picked to be special counsel to the president. Fielding also hired three lawyers from his previous law firm, Wiley, Rein & Fielding [firm website]. AP has more.