Cleveland Law Firm, Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper, LLC

Principal practice areas

Employment-based immigration
Non-immigrant visas (including B, E, H-1B, L-1, J-1, TN)
Investor visas
Family immigration
Border adjudications
J waivers
I-9 audits
Global entry appeals
Outbound immigration

Representative experience

Represent clients on the full gamut of nonimmigrant visa matters, including H-1B, E-1, E-2, E-3, L-1, TN, O-1, & P-1
Guide clients on the permanent residence process through labor certification, outstanding professors/researchers, aliens of extraordinary ability, multinational managers/executives, and national interest waivers
Represent clients in family-based immigration both based in the United States and at U.S. consulates abroad
Provide strategic guidance to clients on hiring decisions and managing global mobility issues
Representation in complex naturalization matters, including those involving Federal Court actions

Bar Admissions

Ohio Supreme Court (1996)
Pennsylvania Supreme Court (1995)
6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (1996)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (1996)
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (1997)

Career and educational background

Member, Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper (2017-present)
Partner, Rosner, Ortman & Moss (2005-2017); associate (1999-2005)
George Washington School of Law (JD, 1995)
University of Michigan (BA, political science, 1991)

Professional and civic activities

Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Ohio Chapter, liaison to U.S. Customs & Border Protection (2011-present)
LLM advisory board, Case Western Reserve University School of Law (2012-present)
Board member, Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group (2016-present); member (2000-present)
Former board member, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Former board member, Mandel Jewish Day School

Publications

Author, "U.S. Steps Up Efforts to Review Social Media Use of Immigrants and Visitors," NGC Legal Insights (Fall 2017)
Author, "When Immigration Law and National Security Intersect: the Export Control Attestation," Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal (May 2011)

Speaking engagements

Panelist, "Hot Topics with the U.S. Department of State: Marijuana, Public Charge and DUI," Ohio Immigration Lawyers Association Fall Conference (Oct. 11, 2019)
Panelist, "Understanding Current Immigration Issues," The Literacy Cooperative (May 2019)
Presenter, "Firsthand Account of the Experience of Asylum Seekers from Central America Who Enter the United States Through the Southern Border," Temple Israel, Canton, Ohio (March 2019)
Panelist, "Visa Processing Issues at U.S. Consulates Abroad," Ohio American Immigration Lawyers Association Fall Conference (Oct. 18, 2018)
Presenter, "The Trump Administration's Immigration Enforcement Agenda, at the Border, at the Workplace, and in the Courts," Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association event (Sept. 26, 2018)
Speaker, “Immigration in a New Administration,” Cleveland State University Global Business Law Review Symposium (April 2017)
Speaker, “Rights of Foreign Students Under the Trump Administration,” Oberlin University, (February 2017)
Panelist, "NAFTA Adjudications and Border Crossing Issues” U.S. Customs & Border Protection Conference, Detroit, Michigan (January 2017)
Speaker, “Another Brick in the Wall: Immigration Policy Under the Trump Administration,” Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group (January 2017)
Speaker, "Helping the Best and the Brightest…Avoid Labor Certification: EB-1, EB-2 and NIW Filings,” AILA, Ohio Chapter, Fall CLE Conference (Oct. 7, 2016)
Speaker, “Globalizing Human Resources: Best Practices for Building an International Workforce,” Monte Ahuja College of Business (July 2016)
Speaker, “Specialized Knowledge and L-1B: Initiation to Consular Interview," AILA National Webinar/Practice Pointer (February 2015)

Bradley L. Ortman

member
Email Bradley L. Ortman ›
216-621-7227

Brad Ortman offers more than two decades of experience representing clients in all types of immigration and naturalization matters, providing deep knowledge of the U.S. immigration system, relationships with its players, and an understanding of what will and will not work within the system. He has concentrated his practice exclusively on immigration law since 1997, with a focus on employment-based immigration to help clients compete in the global marketplace

Brad has managed U.S. immigration and global mobility matters for a diverse group of clients, including numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses and individuals. His experience stretches across a variety of industries including telecommunications, manufacturing, information technology, medicine, academia, and sports and entertainment.

In addition to practicing law, Brad speaks widely on immigration-related topics at universities, community forums, and professional conferences. He has addressed a wide variety of issues, including the labor certification process, intracompany transfers (L-1B visas), immigration planning in the context of mergers and acquisitions, border crossing issues, as well as the controversial immigration law changes in the Trump administration. Brad has been recognized both as a Rising Star and a Best Lawyer. Prior to joining NGC, he served as a co-managing partner for Rosner, Ortman & Moss Partners, a boutique immigration law firm routinely recognized as a Best Law Firm by U.S. News and World Report. He currently services as Ohio liaison to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Brad is also fluent in Spanish, having previously lived in Mexico.