Greg Krikorian, a Los Angeles Times veteran who is the lead reporter on the Anthony Pellicano trial, applied for and received the recent buyout. He's joining the office of the federal public defender next month as an investigator assigned to death penalty appeals and other criminal cases. He says via email:

I will be based in Los Angeles though the nature of the work will entail a lot of travel. And while I of course will miss the people and professionalism at one of the worlds great newspapers, the timing of this opportunity was perfect and I am thrilled to be joining the federal public defenders office.

Hot Property lives on: The LAT real estate section has posted an opening for the Hot Property column that has been written for years by Ruth Ryon, who also took the buyout. Posting after the jump.

HOT PROPERTY REPORTER – REAL ESTATE

The Real Estate Section seeks a vigorous reporter with a lively voice and engaging writing style to pick up the mantle of the long-running Hot Property feature, which reports on celebrity houses that are on the block or have been recently purchased, including sales prices and details about the properties.

Duties will include producing the weekly column for print and online as well as related feature articles, A1 stories, videos and more.

The ideal candidate is obsessed with houses, fearless and plugged into the high-end realty agent and celebrity scene.

Reporters who are interested in this opportunity should contact Real Estate Editor Lauren Beale, at Ext. 77731, by March 28, 2008.

This position should be filled from within the Times’ Editorial staff.