Memorials, 0122 ALBJ, Vol. 83 No. 1 Pg. 13 (January, 2022)
| Position | Vol. 83 1 Pg. 13 |
Suzanne D. Paulson
James C. Stivender
Suzanne D. Paulson
Words generally fail us as we try to convey the essence of this life lost on September 9, 2021. Born December 17,1950 in Detroit, Michigan, Suzanne Paulson was the epitome of grace and compassion in all aspects of her life and was always the consummate professional in her practice of law.
After graduating from Michigan State University in 1973, Suzanne moved to Birmingham to attend Cumberland School of Law, where, in 1974, she was recruited as a law clerk by the Estate and Gift Tax Division of the Internal Revenue Service. After graduating Cumberland, Suzanne was admitted to the Alabama bar in 1976. She then served as Estate Tax Attorney in the Birmingham office of the IRS until 1980, when she was promoted to Senior Estate Tax Attorney. Suzanne would remain in that position at the IRS for the next 20 years until 2000, when she left for private practice and joined the law firm of Leitman, Siegal & Payne, PC. where she practiced in estate planning and administration for the remainder of her life. During her long and accomplished career, Suzanne was a well-known member of the estate-planning and administration bar and became the go-to professional for many accountants whose clients needed her help planning and administering their estates and the estates of their loved ones.
The law was Suzanne's constant as she worked long and diligent hours for her clients and cared deeply about providing the best outcomes for them. As her relationships grew, more often than not, clients would refer to Suzanne not only as their lawyer, but also as their friend. She was an empathetic listener, and lawyers, accountants, and financial planners from all around Alabama also sought her advice and counsel. Suzanne had a warm heart and inviting spirit, and it was the blending of her technical knowledge with these"down-to-earth"qualities that made Suzanne invaluable to many of her clients, colleagues, and friends.
Suzanne's contributions to the bar and community were also extensive, including leadership in some of the most effective May Day celebrations of the Birmingham Bar Association and important roles on the Alabama Planned Giving Council and Samford University Professional Advisors Council. She was also a dedicated member of Birmingham's Estate Planning Council and the Women's Section of the Birmingham Bar.
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