Women in the Law 2026 – Nicole Schram, Boardman Clark Law Firm

Nicole “Nikki” Schram is an attorney at Boardman Clark Law Firm in Madison, where she practices immigration law, representing employers and professional workers navigating an increasingly complex legal landscape.

Her work includes securing nonimmigrant work visas such as H-1B, L-1, O-1, and TN classifications, as well as permanent residence through EB-1, EB-2, and National Interest Waiver petitions for foreign nationals of extraordinary and exceptional ability.

Schram’s track record reflects her technical mastery and strategic judgment. One longtime corporate client noted that over approximately eight years of working together, the company experienced only a single petition denial despite numerous audits and heightened government oversight.

Among her recent accomplishments, she successfully represented a medical research scientist seeking a National Interest Waiver to continue work developing pig organs for human transplantation, a project approved for human trials that could benefit more than 100,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list.

Schram approaches mentorship with a feedback-driven, encouraging style that prioritizes growth and confidence-building, particularly for junior women attorneys. She serves on the board of Bikes for Kids Wisconsin and volunteers regularly at the Community Immigration Law Center’s Friday pro bono immigration law clinics. She also provides educational presentations for international students at the University of Wisconsin on pathways to work visas and mentors a UW LLM student.