Richard Thomas Herman

Richard T. Herman | Immigration Attorney & Founder, Herman Legal Group

Richard T. Herman is a Cleveland-based U.S. immigration lawyer and founder of Herman Legal Group, The Law Firm for Immigrants. With more than 30 years of immigration-law experience, he leads a multilingual team helping individuals, families, professionals, entrepreneurs, and employers navigate U.S. immigration matters. Richard established the firm in 1995.

The firm’s approach emphasizes careful review of each client’s immigration history, clear explanations of available options, and practical advice about evidence, deadlines, and potential risks. Whether the goal is family reunification, a career opportunity, citizenship, or a defense against deportation, the work begins with understanding the person’s circumstances.

Immigration services

Family immigration and marriage-based green cards: HLG assists with I-130 family petitions, I-485 adjustment of status, consular processing, and K-1 fiancé visas. The team reviews relationship evidence, financial sponsorship, and prior immigration history before recommending a filing strategy.

Employment and business immigration: The firm represents employers, professionals, researchers, physicians, and entrepreneurs in work-visa and permanent-residence matters. Services include H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN, and E-2 matters; PERM labor certification; EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 green cards; national interest waivers; and J-1 physician waivers.

Deportation defense, asylum, and humanitarian protection: HLG handles immigration-court representation, affirmative and defensive asylum, and detention or bond matters where legally available. The team also evaluates VAWA self-petitions, U visas, and T visas when the circumstances may support eligibility.

Citizenship, waivers, and complicated cases: Services include naturalization, citizenship claims, immigration waivers, and review of prior denials or immigration violations. Depending on the case, the team may evaluate I-601 or I-601A waivers, I-212 permission to reapply, motions, or immigration appeals.

Experience and professional recognition

Richard earned his law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1993 and was admitted to the Ohio Bar that year. His admissions also include the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Richard holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent peer-review rating. He was selected to Super Lawyers for 2004–2025. His historical honors include selection to the 2015 and 2016 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. Professional recognition is not a guarantee of a particular case outcome.

Author and international experience

Richard co-authored Immigrant, Inc.: Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy with journalist Robert L. Smith, published by John Wiley & Sons in 2009. His professional work was also featured in Super Lawyers magazine’s “A Lawyer Without Borders.” Earlier in his career, Richard lived and practiced in Moscow for nearly two years. He speaks English and Russian.

Spanish-language assistance and consular-protection work

HLG’s multilingual team offers Spanish-language immigration assistance. The firm has served as independent outside counsel through Mexico’s PALE consular-protection program in connection with the Consulate of Mexico in Detroit, with documented work beginning in 2018. HLG is an independent U.S. law firm, not a government agency. A consular referral does not guarantee representation, funding, or an outcome.

Cleveland and Columbus-area offices; nationwide U.S. immigration services

Herman Legal Group has two physical offices: its Cleveland headquarters and its Columbus-area office in Worthington. The firm serves clients throughout Ohio and nationwide, and assists clients abroad with U.S. immigration matters. Telephone and video consultations are available. Service in another city or country does not mean HLG maintains an office there or practices that country’s law.

Cleveland headquarters:
408 West Saint Clair Avenue, Suite 230
Cleveland, OH 44113

Columbus-area office in Worthington:
6660 North High Street, Suite 3E
Worthington, OH 43085

To request a consultation with Richard T. Herman or the HLG team, call or email Please identify any urgent hearing or filing deadline when scheduling. Office meetings are arranged in advance.

This profile provides general information, not legal advice. Representation is subject to conflicts review and agreed engagement terms. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.