Area lawyer Paul Birzon died Aug. 30 in Rochester. A longtime instructor at the University at Buffalo Law School who had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, he was 75.

A native of Brooklyn, Birzon served in the U.S. armed services in Korea before graduating with honors from Columbia Law School in 1959. The following year, he was married to Harriet Herbst and moved to Buffalo to begin his law practice.

In more than 40 years as an adjunct professor at UB Law, Birzon gained a reputation as an expert in the area of evidence.

"He was a much-sought-after speaker and lecturer (whose) combination of eloquence and knowledge made him one of the most influential attorneys in the state," noted his wife of five years, Rochester lawyer Sharon Kelly Sayers.

Harriet Birzon died in 2001, after which Birzon relocated from Attica to Rochester.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Birzon concentrated his practice in the area of matrimonial law. He served as president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers from 1985-87 and was a founding member of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He chaired the International Matrimonial Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and the Family Law Section of the Erie County Bar Association, and was a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, New York State Bar Association Law Section executive committee and the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Birzon is survived by Sayers and two children: Aubrey Blanda of Glen Ridge, N.J., and David Birzon of Phoenix, Ariz., and Aspen, Colo. Another son, Joshua, died in 2000 while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is also survived by his wife's two daughters, Kelly Pleszewicz and Rachel Taber, and nine grandchildren and step-grandchildren.

Friends and associates are encouraged to send photographs and memories of Birzon to Sayers at 2251-5 E. Main St., Rochester, NY 14609.