Meet The Team

Michael J. Cacace is the founding partner of Cacace, Tusch & Santagata.  His practice focuses on civil litigation, real estate and land use. He holds a B.A. degree from Fordham College and a J.D. degree from New York Law School, and is admitted to practice before the courts in Connecticut and New York. He is a former president of the Stamford Regional Bar Association and a former chairman of the Planning and Zoning Section of the Connecticut Bar Association. He is a Board member of the Regional Plan Association and Co-Chairman of the Connecticut Committee of the Regional Plan Association; and has lectured and written articles on land use issues in Connecticut, including articles in the Connecticut Bar Journal. He was recently listed as one of the Top Lawyers in Connecticut in the areas of real estate and zoning by Connecticut Magazine, Westchester Magazine and New York magazine. Mr. Cacace has been designated a Connecticut Super Lawyer® since 2006, holds the Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating™, and has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America© directory since 1995.

With a long tradition of community philanthropy, Mr. Cacace has earned numerous awards and titles from regional nonprofits. In 1984, he was named Community Leader of the Year by The Stamford Advocate. In 1988, he received the Humanitarian Award from the Southwestern Connecticut Association of Life Underwriters. He received the President’s Award from the Stamford United Way in 1995, and was also named Citizen of the Year by the Fred Robinson Post #42 of the Jewish War Veterans. Mr. Cacace was named Man of the Year by State Street Debating Society in 2011, and was honored as the first recipient of the Arts Ovation Award in 2010 by the Stamford Center for the Arts. He also received the Good Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America’s Connecticut Yankee Council in 2001; and was honored by the Council of Italian American Organizations in 2007.

Mr. Cacace is a former member of the Democratic National Committee, representing Connecticut. He has served as president of the United Way of Stamford; president of the United Way of Connecticut; chairman of the Stamford Commission on Aging; co-chairman of the Stamford 13th Charter Revision Commission; chairman of the Stamford Redistricting Commissions in both 1991 and 2001; and as president of the Stamford Center for the Arts, the Italian Center of Stamford, and the Volunteer Center of Southwestern Connecticut. More recently, he served as Chairman of the Ferguson Library Board of Trustees.

Published Cases:

Connecticut Appellate Court and Connecticut Supreme Court

1. Alvord Inv., LLC v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of City of Stamford, 282 Conn. 393, 920 A.2d 1000 (2007);
2. Bongiorno Supermarket, Inc. v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 266 Conn. 531, 833 A.2d 883 (2003);
3. Quarry Knoll II Corp. v. Planning and Zoning Commission, 256 Conn. 674, 780 A.2d 1 (2001);
4. Miles v. Foley, 253 Conn. 381, 752 A.2d 503 (2000);
5. Smith v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 227 Conn. 71, 629 A.2d 1089 (1993);
6. Benenson v. Board of Representatives, 223 Conn. 777, 612 A.2d 50 (1992);
7. Stamford Ridgeway Associates v. Board of Representatives, 214 Conn. 407, 572 A.2d 951 (1990);
8. Connecticut Health Facilities, Inc. v. Zoning Board of Appeals, 29 Conn. App. 1, 613 A.2d 1358 (1992);
9. Newbury Commons Limited Partnership v. Stamford, 226 Conn. 92 (1993).

Litigation Percentage:

40% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Instructor, Administrative Law, Norwalk Community College, 1980 – 1981

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Stamford Center for the Arts, 1985 – Present
Member, Board of Directors

Stamford Center for the Arts, 1989 – Present
Vice President

Stamford Economic Assistance Corp., 1984 – 1985
Member

Connecticut Committee of the Regional Plan Association, Inc., 1987
Member

United Way of Stamford, 1988 – Present
Member

United Way of Stamford, 1989 – 1992
Vice President

United Way of Stamford, 1992 – 1994
President

United Way of Connecticut, 1988 – Present
Member

United Way of Connecticut, 1990 – 1993
President

Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar Association, 1981 – 1992
Member, Executive Committee

Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar Association, 1986
Treasurer

Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar Association, 1987
Secretary

Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar Association, 1988
2nd Vice President

Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar Association, 1989
1st Vice President

Stamford/Norwalk Regional Bar Association, 1990 – 1991
President

Connecticut Bar Association, Planning and Zoning Section
Member

Connecticut Bar Association, Planning and Zoning Section, 1991 – 1992
Vice Chairman

Connecticut Bar Association, Planning and Zoning Section, 1994 – Present
Chairman

New York State Bar Association

American Bar Association
Member, Committee on Regulation of Land Use
Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association

American Association for Justice

SACIA, Fairfield County Information Exchange
Member, Research Advisory Committee

SACIA, Fairfield County Information Exchange
Member, Trends & Issues Sub-Committee

Past Employment Positions:

Stamford Commission on the Aging, Member, 1975 – 1981

Stamford Commission on the Aging, Chairman, 1979 – 1981

Stamford 13th Charter Revision Commission, Co-Chairman, 1982 – 1983