Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship—Significant Achievements for 2017-18
The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship (IJ Clinic) continued to be a lifeline for small businesses in Chicago in 2017-18 through our in-depth representation of low-income entrepreneurs, advocacy for economic liberty, and legal programming for small businesses throughout the city.
In the past year, the IJ Clinic guided clients through major milestones. Moon Meals, a healthy foods producer, secured an angel investor and prepared to roll out in grocery stores all around the region. Peter Field, a tailoring business, moved to new space in Chicago and expanded its business model to include a new division called Faye Sessions. Haji Healing Salon, which offers a variety of healing services like yoga and community acupuncture, entered into a lease for its first storefront and inserted its healing presence into the neighborhood of Chatham. Nature’s Little Recyclers, a vermicomposting company, had its biggest year yet and acquired several new properties for farming and composting. In each of these growth spurts, the students in the IJ Clinic provided thoughtful counsel, deep legal research, skilled negotiations, insightful contract review, and skilled contract drafting.
The IJ Clinic was more active than ever as a watchdog for small businesses of all kinds in Chicago. We worked with the innovative mobile boutique North & Hudson, to urge the city to convert a temporary emerging business permit to a change in the code that would allow retail businesses to start and succeed in Chicago. A law student testified before the City Council committee, urging the aldermen to embrace innovation. We continue to build a coalition to lobby for the necessary changes to the code.
The IJ Clinic has been instrumental in moving forward reforms that will make it simpler for businesses to understand and comply with the laws in Chicago. Thanks to ongoing advocacy, the City Council is reviewing an ordinance that would legalize A-frame signs. The IJ Clinic has rolled out a campaign to support reform, called Simple Laws Stick.
Lastly, the IJ Clinic continues to shine a spotlight on entrepreneurship on the South Side of Chicago. While many news stories about the South Side focus on crime or poverty, the IJ Clinic lifts up the models of innovation and inspiration among the South Side’s entrepreneurs. The South Side Pitch is a competition for those innovators that culminates in a wonderful evening for the finalists to face off before a panel of expert judges and the standing room only audience, a la Shark Tank. The winner in 2017 was KaZoom Kids Books, a company started by two women from the South Side to create a digital collection of children’s books featuring children of color as their main characters.