Open & Shut

Extra advice from our top lawyers

Since we ran out of room with the lawyer list that ran in the magazine, we didn’t have the chance to share everything the attorneys who answered our Q&A had to say. So here we present some free advice, plus a little insight into life at the firm.

Why did you choose corporate law as your specialty?

The retired general counsel of Federated Department Stores, which owned Bloomingdale's, taught a class at UConn Law School [during my third year] on corporate finance. We discussed cases on shareholder rights, preferred stock, present values and priorities in bankruptcy, and I realized that I liked all that. When I joined Day, Berry & Howard (now Day Pitney), I asked to join the Corporate Law department, and I have been practicing corporate law ever since.   —David A. Swerdloff, Day Pitney LLP, Stamford

What should a prospective client about to meet with you bring to an initial meeting?

Bring your documents! Often a client will describe a business agreement, and the documents don't say what the client expects. And if there is an agreement, make sure it's been signed.   —David A. Swerdloff, Day Pitney LLP, Stamford

Describe your pro-bono work.


We have recently handled the mergers of nonprofits on a pro-bono basis, including the merger of Future Five, a coaching network for low-income teens, with Domus, the Stamford-based organization that offers multiple programs for young people. We also helped document the merger of United Way of Norwalk and Wilton into United Way of Coastal Fairfield County.    —David A. Swerdloff, Day Pitney LLP, Stamford

Who’s your favorite TV lawyer?

In the first episode of L.A. Law, the nebbishy tax attorney played by Michael Tucker [Stuart Markowitz] gave a eulogy for his partner who had just died while working at his desk.  As I recall, he spoke glowingly of being his late partner's ‘fiduciary.’ The moment was meant as a joke, some sentimental legalese. But the character was right. Lawyers are fiduciaries, and it's an honorable role: honest, trustworthy, loyal and fair.    —David A. Swerdloff, Day Pitney LLP, Stamford

Why did you choose civil litigation as your specialty?

[As a] general litigator, [I am involved] in a wide array of disciplines, and I find the variety interesting. The rules of court are fairly consistent, but this allows, and requires, me to become an expert, if only for a short time, in things like medicine, engineering, government, domestic issues and the myriad disputes that befall both small and large businesses.   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

How has your civil litigation changed since you began practicing?

The specialty itself has gotten a lot less collegial and more adversarial. But as I’ve gained more experience, I’ve managed to gravitate towards the kinds of clients and cases that I find interesting and professionally rewarding, which has provided me with an offset.   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

What advice would you give to young people thinking about law school?

[They] should probably spend a little time in a law office, paid or not, in order to find out just exactly what we do before they decide that they want to do it.   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

What was your favorite class in law school?

Law and Humanities. It was an elective where we read works ranging from To Kill a Mockingbird and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Through the Looking Glass, and examined the law’s role in each. Since law school can be all-consuming, [the class] served as a nice reminder that while law is a principal player in society, it is but one of them.   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

Who’s your favorite TV lawyer?

I always liked Arnie Becker of L.A. Law because he was flawed and he knew it. My favorite episode was when he was in the midst of a personal crisis and projecting a bit, and tearfully told a matrimonial client who had been fighting his spouse tooth and nail for material possessions, that he should relent because those things ‘can’t love you back.’ I’ve used that since.   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

What is the dumbest thing you’ve seen a client do?

I’m usually grateful for ‘dumb’ things clients do, lest we’d all be out of business. But anytime a client tries to make their side of the story better, even though it may be just a slight exaggeration, it always makes it worse.   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

What is the craziest thing you’ve seen in court?

Some of the more amusing things happen in family court. One time I was involved in a divorce trial where the husband and wife both claimed that the other had [hidden] assets. In denying both claims, Judge Edward Karazin wrote: “Both parties have claimed that the other has hidden vast sums of money. To the extent they have done so, they’ve been successful.”   —Thomas M. Cassone
, Bello, Lapine & Cassone LLP, Stamford

Why did you become an attorney?

I dropped out of a Ph.D. program in math and went to law school in order “to help people.”   —Janice H. Eiseman
, Cummings & Lockwood LLC, Stamford

Why did you choose taxation law as your specialty?

The IRS was the only employer who would give me a job in 1975 in spite of my being at the top of my class.   —Janice H. Eiseman
, Cummings & Lockwood LLC, Stamford

What was your favorite class in law school?

I loved law school, and in particular those courses that were code-based, such as taxation, commercial law and bankruptcy.   —Janice H. Eiseman
, Cummings & Lockwood LLC, Stamford

Why did you choose zoning, planning and land use law as your specialty?

I didn’t choose it. I [first] worked with a litigation firm in Manhattan, and when I started to practice in Connecticut, I happened to handle a contested zoning case that got some public attention, and before I knew it, land use clients started contacting me. My practice now concentrates on land use.   —Michael J. Cacace, Cacace, Tusch & Santagata, Stamford

What was your favorite class in law school?

Advocacy. It was a practical course that helped [me] learn to be a persuasive advocate.   —Michael J. Cacace, Cacace, Tusch & Santagata, Stamford

What is the dumbest thing a client did?

Crash a car, run home and report the car stolen.   —Michael J. Cacace, Cacace, Tusch & Santagata, Stamford

Have you ever experienced a Perry Mason moment?

While [I was] examining an appraiser during a deposition, she said, “Please stop. My whole report is wrong.”   —Michael J. Cacace, Cacace, Tusch & Santagata, Stamford