Stew Weiss Email & Phone Number

I am a partner at Elrod Friedman LLP, a Chicago-based boutique law firm focusing on land use and local government representation. I counsel small to mid-sized Illinois municipalities on land use, regulatory matters, and public contracting. My "lodestar" goal is to minimize risk and establish internal best practices, while providing clients with the flexibility to respond to external opportunities and challenges.I have assisted my firm's local government clients in the negotiation, drafting, and implementation of redevelopment and subdivision agreements, tax incentive and sales tax rebate agreements, and annexation agreements. I have guided cities and villages through rewrites of their business licensing, building code, zoning, and subdivision regulations. I have extensive experience in both public contracting and development incentives, and serve as counsel to village boards of trustees, city councils, zoning boards, plan commissions, and electoral boards.With deep knowledge of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, I have advised communities and businesses across the state on the regulation and licensing of the cannabis industry.I also counsel public sector clients on issues associated with cybersecurity and data protection, including breach response, notification requirements, risk management, and third-party vendor matters.Over the past decade and a half, I've dedicated my pro bono practice to organizations that link the well-being of communities to open space and urban agriculture. I serve as pro bono counsel to NeighborSpace, a not-for-profit landbank that maintains over 115 community gardens in the City of Chicago. I'm also the President of the Board of Directors for Growing Home, a jobs training program in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood dedicated to providing essential life skills to persons with barriers to the job market through urban farming.I was honored to be recognized by Chambers USA 2021 and 2022 as an "Associate to Watch" in Illinois.Outside of work, I love riding and tinkering with bikes, reading large unwieldy science fiction novels, and tending to a disproportionately-sized home composting system. Specialties: Zoning, Land Use, Municipal Government, Cannabis Zoning and Regulation