Our advocacy focuses on economic liberty. Economic liberty is the right to earn an honest living free from unreasonable government interference. The IJ Clinic advocates for economic liberty, so entrepreneurs from Chicago’s inner city can chart their own courses in life, build up neighborhoods and create jobs. We provide free legal assistance, support, education and advocacy for entrepreneurs in the Chicago area. We strive to make Chicago a city where low-income entrepreneurs can thrive.
The IJ Clinic speaks up on behalf of present and future entrepreneurs when the laws on the books or government bureaucracy threaten to stand in their way. We believe the laws of the land should be a stable foundation on which creative, hard-working entrepreneurs can build businesses, not an obstacle course. Red tape should never be the finish line of the race to make jobs. That is why we write, lobby, rally and testify about unnecessary legal barriers to entrepreneurship.
Current Campaigns
Occupational Licensing
Despite our small team size, we are leaders in driving occupational licensing reform for working-class Illinoisans. After discovering that members of the General Assembly receive little information about the impacts and burdens & occupational licenses on ordinary Illinoisans, the IJ Clinic wrote and passed Public Act 102-0984 to ensure General Assembly members would receive more robust reports on a license’s impact and effectiveness when they are reviewed every 10 years.
Permits, Business Licensing, Zoning
For over two decades, The Clinic has championed simpler, faster, and cheaper entrepreneurship in Chicago, notably through their role in passing the ChiBizStrong reforms and exposing permit processing disparities in disinvested communities; continuing their advocacy, The Clinic identifies and promotes streamlined creation and equitable regulations to foster small business growth.
Vacant Lots
Historically disinvested communities have usable space for business and community development but the process of buying city-owned vacant lots and return the land to productive use is a daunting multi-year task.
In the coming year, the Clinic will capitalize on this rich data to streamline and simplify vacant lot acquisition for ordinary Chicagoans.
Shared Kitchens
In 2015, the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship worked as a member of the Street Vendors Justice Coalition to legalize street food in Chicago. Today, thanks to the efforts of many coalition members, street food vendors and aldermen, a license is available to serve food on the sidewalks of Chicago.
past Advocacy Projects
Street Vendors Justice Coalition
Did you know that sidewalk vendors in Chicago were not allowed to sell any food other than raw, uncut produce or frozen desserts? That means no tamales, no corn on the cob—not even a Chicago-style hot dog! Some were even arrested for selling tamales to their neighbors in Little Village.
That’s why in 2015, the IJ Clinic on Entrepreneurship worked as a member of the Street Vendors Justice Coalition to legalize street food in Chicago. Today, thanks to the efforts of many coalition members, street food vendors and aldermen, a license is available to serve food on the sidewalks of Chicago. Our previous advocacy work has moved onward to Shared Kitchens in the Community above.
Barrier Study
Want to create a job in Chicago? It is not that easy.
in spite of the importance of small businesses to Chicago, there are myriad laws on the books that make it difficult—sometimes even impossible—for people to start new enterprises. In this report, we describe some of the excessive legal requirements that confront entrepreneurs in Chicago, focusing on onerous restrictions on the very occupations that most people expect to be open to people of all backgrounds and all income levels.
The Barrier Study Regulatory Field: Burdensome Laws Strike Out Chicago Entrepreneuers documents how government regulations can keep entrepreneurs from doing what they do best—creating jobs and building our communities!
Need to get in touch?
The IJ Clinic on Entrepreneuship may be able to help you for free.
Are you small business owner or an entrepreneur in the Chicago metropolitan area? Need legal guidance as an entrepreneur? Hit a legal roadblock because of licensing and permitting? Reach out to the IJ Clinic on Entrepreneurship, and we may be able to help you!