Leonard A. Fasano, Esq.

B.A. Yale University, 1981

J.D. University of Bridgeport School of Law, 1984

LL.M. Taxation, Boston University School of Law, 1985 

Attorney Fasano concentrates his practice of law for the firm in the areas of general municipal law, zoning and land use and general civil litigation including personal injury/negligence, contract disputes and commercial litigation.

Attorney Fasano is one of the original founding members of Fasano, Ippolito, Lee & Florentine in 1989. While staying active in the everyday dealings of the firm, Attorney Fasano was also elected State Senator for the 34th District, representing Durham, East Haven, North Haven and Wallingford from 2003-2020. In the General Assembly, Attorney Fasano has served as the Minority Whip, Assistant Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Leader Pro Tempore as well as Minority Leader of the Republican Caucus. He ran unopposed for reelection in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016. 

During his time in office, Len championed bipartisan policies to benefit taxpayers, promote fiscal stability, and protect core services for the most vulnerable. Recent legislative accomplishments include developing first-in-the-nation legislation to make prescription drugs more affordable and bring transparency to health care, passing historic bipartisan state budgets with spending caps and bonding caps, and developing proposals to reform criminal justice, education funding, and bring more opportunities to Connecticut cities. As a senator, Attorney Fasano was committed to making state government more cost-effective and efficient. He rallied bipartisan support to implement a spending cap, after decades of attempts by lawmakers to define the cap approved over 25 years ago. He also led the initiative for a bonding cap and volatility cap to reduce state debt and create more stability in state finances.

In 2014, Attorney Fasano also established an urban affairs initiative within the Senate Republican Caucus to start a dialogue between Republican lawmakers and Connecticut cities to enhance educational and economic opportunities. He has also proposed plans to reform the state’s justice system, to reduce recidivism and help people access the tools they need to succeed in all aspects of life.  Proposals have included ideas to encourage the poor to enter the job market, remove disincentives to securing a job, and direct certain higher-education funds to subsidize low-income parents seeking college degrees. In 2017, the Connecticut State Senate passed a bill proposed by Fasano, expediting the Brownfield Redevelopment Process to revitalize old urban industrial properties and encourage urban developers to work with high schools and community technical colleges on curriculum to train future job seekers.

As an advocate for the most vulnerable, Sen. Fasano has been named a “Children’s Champion” by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance and has proposed legislation to reform the state’s child welfare agency to better protect, monitor and support the children in its care. In 2017, a bill backed by Fasano to increase oversight of the Department of Children and Families garnered bipartisan support and passed the State Senate. The Connecticut chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) named Fasano a "Legislator of the Year" multiple times, including in 2013 and 2016, recognizing his efforts in support of tougher laws to help prevent drunk driving and educate young drivers about road safety. 

Senator Fasano has also worked closely with advocates for individuals with disabilities, passing legislation to address the growing needs of individuals on the state’s waitlist for services and legislation to better protect children with disabilities who are suspected or documented victims of abuse and neglect. Fasano advocated for budgets that protect funding for social services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and has protested deep cuts to these services. He cosponsored legislation in 2016 to improve communication between the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and families in need of services for family members with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Fasano worked alongside a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the DDS state agency, and other advocacy groups, including DDS Families First and the Arc of Connecticut, to draft legislation which requires DDS to provide families with information about their eligibility status for state resources, and initiates communication between the agency and families. Fasano also worked to make Connecticut the second state in the nation to implement a statewide screening program to test all newborns for adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a genetic brain disorder. He was the lead sponsor for the legislation in 2013 that was fully implemented in 2016. 

Also in 2014, in partnership with Senate President Martin Looney, Fasano co-created the Bipartisan Round Table on Hospitals and Health Care to help ensure continued access to affordable quality care in Connecticut. Attorney Fasano, whose father was a doctor in New Haven, consistently advocated for legislation to remedy the problems caused by rapid consolidation of physician practices in Connecticut, and its resulting impacts on health care costs and patient choice. He was also successful in passing bipartisan legislation to bring more transparency to medical expenses and to ban “gag clauses” that prevented pharmacists from telling consumers if cheaper prescription drug alternatives were available. In 2016, Fasano was recognized for his work on the Round Table, and the legislation that followed, with the Connecticut State Medical Society Legislative Award.

In 2021, the Connecticut State Legislature's Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee voted to endorse Attorney's Fasano nomination as a legislative commissioner, marking his return to the General Assembly as one of two political appointees overseeing the legislature's non-partisan legal staff. A Democrat and a Republican oversee a body of 19 lawyers who review and help draft every bill reported by a committee to the floor. The position "gives me an opportunity to come back to a place I love," Fasano said at a confirmation hearing. 

Len graduated from Hamden Hall Country Day School in 1977, starring for the Hornets' varsity football team as quarterback, and then competed at Yale under legendary coach Carm Cozza.  Having spent all of his life in New Haven and surrounding communities, Len currently resides in North Haven with his wife, Jill. Len has three adult children and two grandchildren. He also owns and operates the Silver Sands Beach and Tennis Club in East Haven.

Len is administering a Business Law and Society course at Quinnipiac University this fall.

Attorney Fasano can be reached at lfasano@fillaw.com, as well as at his East Haven office, located at 29 High Street, East Haven, Connecticut 06512. To contact the office at 29 High Street, please dial (203) 787-6555, Extension No. 105.