The Washington Post, reports that California lawyer William Lerach is pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy respecting the origins of  plaintiffs' suits in which he made a fortune. William S. Lerach, one of the nation's best known and wealthiest plaintiff lawyers, is preparing to plead guilty as early as today to a single criminal conspiracy charge that could send him to prison for up to two years, according to sources familiar with the case.Lerach, 61, resigned from his California law firm last month after intense speculation about his personal exposure in a lengthy federal criminal investigation. At the time, he said he wanted "to focus single-mindedly on putting the matter behind me once and for all."During his heyday, Lerach won settlements worth billions of dollars from major companies, including a record $7.3 billion payout from firms that helped Enron disguise its financial problems.For seven years, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have been probing...(Read Full Post)