Member Spotlight: James A Hayes

James A. (“Jim”) Hayes, Jr. is currently the chair of the CLA Insolvency Law Committee’s Education Subcommittee and a member of the Legislation Subcommittee.

Throughout his nearly 30 years as a member of the legal profession, Jim Hayes has blended representing clients as a practicing lawyer with an academic career as a law professor, both full-time and part-time.

In his law practice, Jim is a founder of Zinser | Hayes with attorney Kelly Zinser.  Jim concentrates on corporate and business transactional matters and debtor/creditor insolvency and bankruptcy matters. He is appointed to the panel of bankruptcy mediators by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.  He was recognized in 2012-2013 as the most frequently chosen mediator for entire Central District of California; the most frequently chosen mediator, Santa Ana Division of Central District of CA; and settling the most mediations in the  Santa Ana Division of Central District of CA.

Since 2019, Jim has served as a Judge Pro Tem (Temporary Judge) at the Orange County Superior Court, conducting hundreds of Mandatory Settlement Conferences.

Jim’s significant client representations include Special Corporate Counsel to the  Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, California from 2005 to 2009.   Jim represented the Diocese as part of legal team in the mediation and settlement of over 100 clergy abuse cases for $100 million.  He also handled all aspects of civil corporate reorganization of the Diocese and its parishes, involving more than $1 billion in real and personal property.

Among Jim’s reported cases are the bankruptcy matters of Franchise Tax Board v. Jackson, (In re Jackson), 184 F. 3d 1046 (9th Cir. 1999) and  McLaughlin v. Walnut Properties, Inc. , 119 Cal. App. 4th 293, 14 Cal. Rptr. 3d 369 (Cal. Ct. App. 2004).

Jim has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Bar Association and of the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum.  He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Commercial Law League of America, and the California Receivers Forum.  He is also active in the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.

From 1999 to 2002, Jim was the Editor in Chief of the State Bar Business Law Section’s Business Law News. He is also a member of the Section’s Commercial Transactions Committee.

On the academic side, Jim has taught corporate, commercial and bankruptcy law and business law skills courses at Western State College of Law in Irvine, California since 1994. He was Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and an Associate Professor of Law until 2009. Jim was also the Director of the Business Law Center Program, a certificated course of study for students interested in concentrating on business transactions after graduation.

Jim graduated from Western State University, College of Law, Fullerton, California in May 1992, in the top 10 percent of his class. He attended Western State on a full scholarship and was a member of the editorial staff of the Western State Law Review for five semesters. He was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1992.

In addition to his Juris Doctor, Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics from the University of California, Irvine. He has completed graduate courses in administration and economics at UCI and California State University, Fullerton, and courses in bankruptcy law and business reorganizations at the University of Southern California Law Center. He has also studied Roman Catholic canon law at the School of Canon Law, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Prior to attending law school, Jim worked for 12 years for the County of Orange as a budget analyst and administrative manager, including six and one-half years as director of budget and operations for the Orange County Community Services Agency. From 1982 to 1985, Jim Hayes was elected a member of the Stanton City Council, serving as Vice-Mayor in 1984-85.