Illinois Restaurant and Bar Legal Services
Offering legal advice and other restaurant and bar legal services to restaurant and bar owners.
Hays Firm LLC provides legal counsel and advice to restaurant and bar owners regarding the day-to-day operations, licensing, and other bar legal services. We also provide counsel when a dispute arises involving a restaurant or bar.
The firm has an understanding of restaurant law, the hospitality industry, and the various types of challenges that bar and restaurant owners encounter on a daily basis. Whether you are in the beginning stages of forming your restaurant or bar, or need to maintain your already steady business, Hays Firm LLC attorneys work one-on-one with you to serve your restaurant or bar legal services needs.
RESTAURANT AND BAR LEGAL SERVICES
Our experienced attorneys can provide the following legal services:
BUSINESS FORMATION LEGAL SERVICES
FORMATION
Our attorneys advise on what type of business entity is most advantageous based on what you are looking to do.
DOCUMENT LEGAL SERVICES
DOCUMENTS
Our attorneys draft all the necessary documents to create the entity so you can focus on your restaurant or bar.
SECRETARY OF STATE
SECRETARY OF STATE
Our attorneys file the documents with the Illinois Secretary of State which are required to register your business.
REGISTERED AGENT
REGISTERED AGENT
Our attorneys act as the registered agent for your restaurant or bar in the State of Illinois.
LICENSING
LICENSING
Our attorneys prepare the necessary documents to obtain all of the required licensing and registration.
AGREEMENTS
AGREEMENTS
Our attorneys analyze and negotiate lease agreements, purchase agreements, and vendor and distributor agreements.
OPERATIONAL ISSUES
OPERATIONAL ISSUES
Our attorneys advise on landlord, vendor, and shareholder issues; as well as commercial and business-related disputes.
OTHER ISSUES
OTHER ISSUES
Our attorneys are equipped to handle all legal issues related to the operation of a bar or business.
RESTAURANT AND BAR LEGAL SERVICES FAQ
IS YOUR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MORATORIUM?
The term generally refers to certain sections of the city which have imposed a moratorium on all new tavern or liquor store licenses. The Chicago City Ordinance restricts the issuance of new liquor licenses in various locations throughout the City. Determining whether your business, or proposed business, lies within a moratorium district seems straightforward, but in actuality it is anything but simple. The moratorium classifications can be complicated as certain moratoriums affect different sections of the City in different ways. The moratorium ordinances also greatly restrict the transfer of existing tavern and packaged goods licenses.
The experienced liquor license attorneys at Hays Firm LLC are available to assist you in the process of determining whether your business lies within a moratorium ordinance and guide you throughout the entire application process.
WHAT IS THE INITIAL APPLICATION PROCESS FOR A LIQUOR LICENSE?
- Complete a “Business Information Sheet”.
- Meet with a Business Consultant at the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection in City Hall.
— Be prepared to answer all questions about your proposed operation.
— The Business Consultant may also assist with obtaining building permits or any other city services needed. - Complete a Written Application that is presented to the Department of Zoning.
- After obtaining approval from the Department of Zoning, file the application with the application fee with the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection in City Hall.
- Upon filing, the Business Consultant will provide a list of all documents required, schedule all required inspections, and prepare any required public notifications.
- All items need to be completed within 30 Days of the date the written application is filed.
- Inspections by the Departments of Health, Fire, and Buildings and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
- Undergo Background check and spouses of owners need to submit a Spousal Affidavit.
- Notify the Public.
- Submit all remaining documents.
- Application review.
— A decision is issued 60 days after all documents are submitted to the city.
Contact Us
RESTAURANT AND BAR LEGAL SERVICES ARTICLES
Our Team
“Our legal team has knowledge and experience to guide our clients through difficult legal procedures and issues. We are dedicated to providing quality legal services with integrity and respect for our clients.”
ANDREW HAYS | PRINCIPAL
Mr. Hays is the principal of the firm and a graduate of Loyola University Chicago (1997) and the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law (2005). While in law school, Mr. Hays served as a judicial intern for Honorable Judge Allan S. Goldberg, who then presided over commercial matters in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Upon receiving his J.D., Mr. Hays worked as an associate attorney at a small Chicago firm for two years before branching off and beginning Hays Firm in Chicago in 2008.
Mr. Hays concentrates his practice in the areas of guardianship, decedent’s probate estates, and estate and trust litigation. He is admitted to the Trial Bar of the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of the United States District Court of Illinois.
For the past five years, Mr. Hays has been selected as a Super Lawyer in the practice of estate and trust litigation. Only 2.5% of the top attorneys in Illinois receive this award annually for their outstanding dedication to the legal profession. Previously, he was selected by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015.
JAIME NOLAN | PARALEGAL
Ms. Nolan graduated from Indiana University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Tourism Management. After working in the hospitality industry for several years, she obtained the ABA Certified Paralegal Certificate from the College of Lake County in 2012 where she earned a 4.0 GPA and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Ms. Nolan has worked at Hays Firm in Chicago since 2012.
