District judge elected president of Polish American Legal Society

By Kurt Anthony Krug Legal News Dearborn District Judge Richard Wygonik always wanted to be a teacher. He also always wanted to be a lawyer. The lifelong Dearborn resident, 67, got the chance to do both in a career spanning almost 45 years, as well as become a judge in Dearborn's 19th District Court. Recently, he was elected president of the Polish American Legal Society (PALS), succeeding Dearborn Heights District Court Chief Judge Mark Plawecki. Wygonik was sworn in by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway. His term is for two years, "assuming I don't get impeached or otherwise asked to leave," he quipped. "It's a great organization that's been around for many, many, many years. It has an excellent tradition and reputation for being an organization of attorneys that wants to participate in a legal organization having something to do with their culture and heritage. The social aspects of it and the legal community aspects of it are very stimulating," said Wygonik, who has been married to Adrenne, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, for 43 years. "It's good being around a lot of lawyers who want to enjoy each other's company and benefit from each other's experiences. They also have an opportunity to learn from experts whom we have as guest speakers, as well as experience some of the culture and traditions from Poland." He continued, "We don't have the chance to be involved in our heritage on a frequent basis, especially more and more today. At meetings, people talk about their Polish family's experiences, the way they did things for Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving, what their family ties were, what part of Poland they came from, or whether they're Polish but came from a part of Europe that was controlled by Russia or Germany... whatever the case may be. It's enriching because you're learning from each other." PALS has more than 200 members. According to Wygonik, it's a strictly voluntary organization; it has no office. If it weren't for its membership, it would not be functioning. "I want to make it an active organization that members find that it adds something to their professional life, (camaraderie) among lawyers - specifically among Polish lawyers, but you don't have to be Polish to join; you just have to want to acknowledge and have some appreciation of Polish heritage and culture," said Wygonik. "Each past president has tried to do the same basic activities, tried to keep up with the times, and bring as much as energy to the organization that we can for the benefit of our members and our mission." A 1962 alumnus of Fordson High School in Dearborn, Wygonik attended Henry Ford Community College - also in Dearborn - before transferring to Western Michigan University, where he graduated in 1966 with a degree in education. He taught English and social studies in Detroit for almost four years before deciding to pursue a career in law. In 1972, he graduated from Wayne State University Law School. "(My reason for becoming a lawyer came) from sort of a secondhand experience of the Great Depression, being from a working class family of second-generation immigrants, and feeling justice and democracy were such an important part of our life. I was interested in trying to be part of making life better from the standpoint of fairness in the legal system to the many," explained Wygonik. For 35 years, Wygonik was a personal injury lawyer in private practice for himself or various law firms. In 2005, he was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm and elected for a full 6-year term in 2006. He is currently in the final year of his first term and plans on running again in 2012. In fact, he already filed his affidavit for candidacy. "(Being a judge), the most important thing that I find is the contact with people's everyday lives and having a duty and a responsibility to the accused and the victims - as well as the claimants and the defendants - to help the parties try find some justice in whatever case or controversy they're involved in," he explained. "And I enjoy the lawyers, for the most part. The lawyers play a critical part in the judicial process. There's a great duty and responsibility to all the parties involved, as well as to the community." Published: Mon, Dec 12, 2011

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