SAN DIEGO -- The Justice Department announced Thursday the appointment of Karen P. Hewitt, currently the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Diego, to be the Interim U.S. Attorney, replacing Carol Lam.

Lam, whose last day is Thursday, was one of at least seven U.S. Attorneys asked to step down recently by superiors in the Department of Justice.

Lam was also named Thursday as senior vice president and legal counsel at Qualcomm Inc. Lam, who will help manage and direct Qualcomm's litigation worldwide, starts her new job Feb. 26.

"Carol's groundbreaking work in complex cases has earned her a national reputation as one of the top prosecutors in the country," said Louis Lupin, executive vice president and general counsel for Qualcomm.

Lam's prominent cases as U.S. Attorney include the bribery scandal revolving former Rancho Santa Fe congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who is in federal prison, and the prosecution of Javier Arellano-Felix, a suspected Mexican drug kingpin now in federal custody in San Diego.

Lam -- appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 -- was apparently targeted because of job performance issues -- in particular that she failed to make smuggling and gun cases a top priority.

When Lam took office, she made it clear that she planned to focus less on low-level smuggling cases in favor of public corruption and white-collar crime, which would mean fewer but more significant prosecutions.

Hewitt, who has served as an attorney in the Justice Department since 1992, will serve on an interim basis until a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

Lam selected Hewitt to serve as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney a year ago.

"Karen brought energy and insight into her job as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, where she carried a wide range of responsibilities," Lam said. "She has excelled as a litigator and a manager, and I have no doubt that she will have great success as interim U.S. Attorney."