Richard Herman

Founder, Principal @Herman Legal Group, Llc

Richard Herman is an evangelist for welcoming immigrants and the economic contributions they make to American cities. As a lawyer, activist, author and speaker, he has dedicated his life to advocating for immigrants and helping change the conversation on immigration. He is the co-author of the acclaimed book, Immigrant, Inc-Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy (John Wiley & Sons, 2009). Richard is one of the pioneers of the movement by Midwest cities to attract and welcome immigrants who can help grow the economy, create jobs and reverse progressive depopulation. He is the founder of the Herman Legal Group, an immigration law firm founded in 1995 and recognized in U.S. World News & Report’s 2016 and 2017 \"Best Law Firms in America.” The firm serves clients in over 12 languages from offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit/Dearborn, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Youngstown and Charlotte, and represent diverse clientele from Fortune 500 companies to undocumented workers, from technology entrepreneurs to NFL teams. Voted for inclusion in the 2015, 2016, 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© and listed in Super Lawyers© for more than twelve consecutive years, Richard began his immigration law career by moving to Moscow, Russia in 1993, straight out of law school, to eventually open a law office two blocks from the Kremlin to represent post-Soviet entrepreneurs. As an authority on U.S. immigration law and a provocateur for immigrant-friendly, pro-entrepreneur policies, Richard is often invited to strategize and deliver keynote addresses around the country, as he has often done for Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch’s Partnership for a New American Economy, chambers of commerce, universities and cities. Known for his direct and sometimes controversial style, Richard has appeared on FOX News (The O’Reilly Factor), NPR, and has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Inc.