Hayes Hunt is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense & Government Investigations practice groups. From 2010 through the present, Hayes has been recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s “Super Lawyers,” selected as one of Pennsylvania’s 35 “Lawyers on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly and named a Pennsylvania “Rising Star” by Law & Politics.
Hayes represents individuals and corporations in a wide variety of criminal and civil litigation cases in both state and federal courts. Due in part to his diverse background handling both criminal and civil matters, he has successfully tried numerous criminal and civil cases to verdict. Hayes’ varied experience includes defending clients in grand jury proceedings, political corruption, perjury and obstruction charges, health care and tax fraud claims. Specifically, he has counseled clients in connection with grand jury investigations and prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice and various U.S. Attorney’s offices across the country, and the Pennsylvania and New York offices of the Attorney General. He also has represented clients in civil disputes such as contracts, intentional torts, wrongful death and products liability matters.
Since 2006, Hayes has taught Integrated Trial Advocacy as an adjunct professor at Temple University School of Law. His unique class integrates civil procedure, evidence and trial practice skills using a practical hands-on approach. Hayes also frequently lectures for the American Bar Association, the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), the District of Columbia Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Notably, he was one of only three lawyers in the country selected as a member of NITA’s Next Generation Faculty in 2012.
He is also a writer and monthly contributor to The Legal Intelligencer and Law.com’s Corporate Counsel Section and is the creator of From the Sidebar, a blog dedicated to the practice of law, which has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Forbes and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Recently, Hayes was quoted on Forbes.com on Fifth Amendment protection as it relates to congressional testimony.
Hayes’ commitment to providing legal services to the underprivileged started prior to joining the firm, which is one of the reasons he was selected to chair Cozen O’Connor’s Pro Bono Committee. His dedication to the indigent started when he was an attorney at the Defender Association of Philadelphia and worked with the Pennsylvania Post-Conviction Defender Organization, as well as the Capital Habeas Unit, Federal Court Division.
Highly regarded for his advocacy skills, Hayes also serves as chairman of Cozen O’Connor’s Professional Development Committee and continues his mentorship of the next generation of trial lawyers. He founded and created a week-long trial training program held at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, known as the Cozen O’Connor Trial Academy (COTA), and the Cozen O’Connor Deposition Program (CODEP) crafted to teach advanced litigation skills. Most recently, he initiated an innovative program for both transactional and trial lawyers to collaborate. Referred to as CO24, the program offers transactional and trial attorneys the opportunity to work together in negotiating a stock purchase agreement and to engage in conflict resolution in any potential resulting civil action. Thus, the program gives transactional attorneys a purview into litigation and the ramifications of resulting disputes, and provides litigators insight into the inner-workings of the transaction side.
Hayes is a member of the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and New York bars and numerous federal courts. In addition, he serves as a member of the Federal Bar Criminal Law Executive Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He earned his law degree from Temple University School of Law where he is currently a member of the Temple Law Board of Visitors and serving in an advisory capacity to the Dean of the Law School.
