Richard Walawender is a senior principal of the Milier Canfield law firm and leads the firm’s International Corporate Practice and the firm’s Automotive Team. His relevant practice specialties include mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate and commercial law, real estate, licensing, corporate governance, financing and international transactions. He is recognized in “Best Lawyers” in the areas of International Trade and Finance Law as well as Mergers & Acquisitions Law, and has authored numerous publications.
Richard received his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. from the University of Michigan. He is licensed to practice in the State of Michigan and the State of New York. While studying as an undergraduate majoring in Polish studies and political science at U-M, Richard attended the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland as a foreign exchange student in 1981. During this tumultuous time in Poland, Richard enlisted with and supported the Polish Solidarity Union (NSZZ Solidarność) and the Polish lndependent Student’s Association (Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów) in various marches, strikes and protests against Poland’s communist government.
Immediately after Solidarity was able to wrest power from the communists in Poland by forming a government in 1989, Solidarity representatives contacted Richard and asked him to assist the new Polish government and the Solidarity Union in attracting U.S. investment and U.S. support for the newly free country. One of the first projects which Richard oversaw was to establish and secure financing for what became one of Poland’s first, private commercial banks (the Solidarność-Chase Bank). He also represented many U.S. companies in establishing operations in newly free Poland.
At the same time, in the early 1990s, Richard established three offices for his law firm in Poland (Gdynia, Warszawa and Wrocław), which he still oversees, supervising over 30 Polish attorneys. He and his firm’s Polish offices hove helped to rewrite many of Poland’s laws, including the commercial code, insurance code, and fisheries laws. He still travels frequently to Poland, both representing American clients in Poland and conducting seminars and lectures for Polish businesses seeking to invest in the U.S.
In 2019, Richard was asked to help revive the Polish Mission at Orchard Lake Schools (now known as the Polish lnstitute of Culture & Research) as its Board Chair, a position he still holds. Richard has been involved in and supported many other Polonian organizations over years.
In 2018, the Polish Government asked Richard to become the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Detroit and to establish a Polish Consulate in the city, the first since shortly after WWII. Richard still serves as Honorary Consul and, in that role, represents the Polish diplomatic corps in the State of Michigan, meeting with American governmental officials and supporting Polonia and its activities. He was also elected by his peers as Director of the Consular Corps of Michigan.
Source: Booklet “Top 25 Polish American Leaders in 2025 Awards Banquet”.
