Kennedy cousin's lawyer suspended from practice

STAMFORD, Conn. – An attorney who represented Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in his Connecticut murder trial will be suspended from practicing law while he serves a prison term for failing to pay taxes.

Attorney Michael Sherman's suspension was approved Friday by a Stamford Superior Court judge. It goes into effect March 15, the day Sherman reports to prison.

Sherman's attorney, William Dow III, said his client will apply for reinstatement when he is released.

Sherman was sentenced in December to one year and one day in federal prison for failing to pay about $420,000 in income taxes.

Skakel, a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel Kennedy, was convicted in 2002 of beating his Greenwich neighbor to death in 1975 when they were both 15. Skakel is serving 20 years to life.