* Obama plans to begin pushing for an immigration bill this year. [Reuters]

* Need a job? Meet Katherine Wu, an executive at NBC universal who calls herself a “networking evangelist.” [The New York Times]

* The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. because of last year’s allegations that he may have been one of the candidates willing to buy the Illinois Senate seat. Please go on a media blitz, Jesse, please! (I just like writing “Blago” in my posts) [The Washington Post]

* The City of Detroit’s former top lawyer sued the city, claiming that she was illegally demoted for calling the 36th District Court a “ghetto court.” [The Detroit Free Press]

* What’s in a name? The Obama administration announced that prisoners held at Guantanamo will no longer be called “enemy combatants,” but they still have basically the same right to hold the prisoners indefinitely. [Los Angeles Times]

* Minor spats with Sam are the least of Lilo’s worries, apparently there’s a warrant for her arrest. [The Associated Press]

* With her husband in jail, Ruth Madoff has seen better days—the feds are working hard to freeze $93 million worth of her assets. [msnbc.com]

* Remember the Minnesota Senate race? Yeah, that’s right, their Senator is still not seated. Franken and Coleman’s lawyers delivered closing arguments Friday—and now the 3 judge panel will decide, but if they choose Franken—Coleman is poised for an appeal. [The Hill]

* Washington Lawyer DeMaurice F. Smith, a partner at Patton Boggs, is the new head of the NFL Players Association—he has no previous ties to the NFL, but he is a devoted Redskins fan. [The Washington Post]

* Also, since sports are more fun to talk about than layoffs—we have created an “Above the Law” group for the NCAA tournament on ESPN. Group name: Above the Law. Password: abovethelaw. It is free and you can make multiple entries (Mr. Mystal will be making many!) Have fun. [Above the Law tournament group]

* SCOTUS will look at the separation of church and state when they decide whether “a cross to honor fallen soldiers can stand in a national preserve in California.” [The Los Angeles Times]

* Lawyers say Madoff must have had help with his Ponzi scheme. [Bloomberg]

* Attorney General Eric Holder visited Guantanamo yesterday to see what is needed to close the prison. [The Associated Press]

* Meanwhile, a Pentagon official who inspected Guantanamo at Obama’s request is under fire from human rights activists for filing a report (which declares Gitmo humane) that is little more than good public relations for the administration. [The New York Times]

* What do you do when your boss gets indicted for securities fraud? You get another job. A team of seven bankruptcy lawyers left Dreier LLP for Epstein Becker Green. [EBG]

* A federal judge encouraged the Obama administration to decide whether to keep pursuing a case against 11 Vietnam War Veterans accused of trying to overthrow Laos’s communist government. [The Associated Press]

* Judge says: UBS must respond to the U.S. lawsuit seeking disclosure of 52,000 names of people who allegedly used Swiss accounts for tax evasion. [Bloomberg]

There was no LEWW last Friday because last week’s wedding pages were even bleaker than the Biglaw employment news. We’ve bounced back nicely, though, because Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday this year, making this week’s weddings section a February feast of premium nuptial news.

We present three outstanding couples for your consideration:

1. Parisa Sabeti and Ted Zagat

2. Jessica Holzer and Hans Nichols

3. Kendall Burman and Eric Volkman

Check out these newlyweds’ résumés and pictures, after the jump.

* Governor Patterson has chosen Kirsten Gillibrand, a 42-year-old New York congresswoman to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate. [Reuters]

* On the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade protestors gather for the annual March for Life on the National Mall. [The Los Angeles Times]

* The Senate has confirmed six members of Obama’s cabinet but Attorney General-designate Eric Holder is still waiting. [The Associated Press]

* Blagojevich may file a lawsuit challenging “unfair” Senate trial rules to the state Supreme Court. [The Washington Post]

* Obama ordered the Justice Department to review the case of an accused al-Qaida agent, the only enemy combatant held on US soil. [The Associated Press]

Am Law Daily highlights the work of James Clark, a fifth-year at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, who took a two-month unpaid leave to volunteer for the Obama campaign in Pennsylvania.

Clark was a community organizer for three different townships in Bucks County, a county Hillary Clinton carried with over 60 percent of the vote. He felt that his Cleary litigation experience helped him in his campaign stint organizing local volunteers:

Volunteers are kind of like junior associates in that you have to clearly articulate what needs to be done so that everyone is on the same page.

Also don’t make any sudden movements. Be firm, yet gentle.

Clark credits Cleary for allowing him the opportunity to work in rural Pennsylvania:

The firm has always made it clear to me that they are committed to the community and they’ve allowed me to sort of be a pro bono rainmaker and go out and find things that are worthwhile.

Can Clark make partner with his book of pro bono business now?

We jest, but only out of jealousy. Taking two months off to do something you feel is important is commendable, regardless of your politics. Keeping your Biglaw job while you do it (Clark is getting married soon) makes you the winner, even though you lost.

ELECTION 2008: Cleary Associate Gives Up Paycheck for Obama [Am Law Daily]