Spotlight

Sidney Devorsetz, JD '59

Cornell Law School graduate Sidney Devorsetz, JD '59 has been chosen from over 1,400 members of the Onondaga County Bar Association as the Distinguished Lawyer for 2009. The Onondaga County Bar Association is honoring Mr. Devorsetz on Thursday, October 15th at its 134th Annual Dinner, in recognition of a lifetime of practice in the bar’s highest traditions.

As stated by Gioia A. Gensini, chair of the dinner and vice president of the Bar Association, Mr. Devorsetz "is well known throughout the state as an expert in real property tax assessment, and he has been active and involved with the Bar Association and the community for many years."

Mr. Devorsetz is a graduate of Nottingham High School and Dartmouth College. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1959 and was subsequently appointed a New York State Assistant Attorney General, defending contract, appropriation and tort claims. During this time, Mr. Devorsetz was called to active duty in the Air Force and served in Germany during the Berlin crisis. With the conclusion of his overseas military service, he rejoined the Attorney General’s Office in Syracuse.

In 1965, Mr. Devorsetz ventured into private practice, founding and managing the law firm that came to be known as Devorsetz, Stinziano, Gilberti, Heintz and Smith, P.C. In 2006, he founded the Devorsetz Law Firm, where he continues to practice his expertise in eminent domain and real property tax assessment. Throughout his career, he has litigated numerous proceedings which have led to seminal appellate court decisions.

Mr. Devorsetz is a sustaining member of the Onondaga County Bar Association and New York State Bar Association. In 1965, during the early years of his legal career, he served as President of the Upstate Trial Lawyers Association. In 1978, after serving on various OCBA committees, he was elected as OCBA’s 71st President. Two years later, he became president of the Onondaga County Bar Foundation.

Throughout his career as an attorney, Mr. Devorsetz has been a frequent lecturer on tax certiorari and eminent domain law topics. He served as Chairman of the New York State Commission on Eminent Domain, from 1971-1975. During his tenure, the Commission inscribed the Eminent Domain Procedure Law. In addition, Mr. Devorsetz served as counsel to the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency for more than a decade. He was also a Trustee of WCNY and a member of the Board of Directors of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Kidney Foundation. He is currently a member of the Fifth Judicial District’s Committee on Character and Fitness and the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Development Association. As he has become widely known for his expertise and extensive practice in the bar’s highest traditions, Mr. Devorsetz is deservedly being recognized by the Onondaga County Bar Association.

~ Contributed by Jessica Ramirez