About J.D.
J.D. Hays earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2010 after concentrating his studies on litigation and trial practice. He came through a program known for its practical training. The curriculum emphasized courtroom procedure, evidence, and trial advocacy, subjects that would shape his early years in practice.
After law school he entered the legal community in Arkansas. He is admitted to practice in the state and is also a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. Those admissions reflect a practice that includes both state-level courtroom work and matters that can touch on federal appellate procedures.
Hays’s professional life has been anchored in litigation. He has handled the practical tasks that define trial work: preparing pleadings, managing discovery, drafting motions, and presenting arguments in hearings. He has spent time in courtrooms, where fact-finding and advocacy meet. He also has experience drafting appellate briefs and managing the record for possible review, an extension of trial work rather than a separate specialty.
Colleagues describe him as pragmatic in the courtroom and focused on clear presentation of facts and law. He tends to favor direct argumentation and careful preparation. His background in trial advocacy from law school shows through in how he organizes cases and prepares witnesses. He keeps the emphasis on what a judge or jury needs to decide the central issues.
Outside the courtroom, Hays has followed procedural developments and case law that affect litigants in Arkansas and beyond. He pays attention to changes in rules of evidence and civil procedure and incorporates those changes into case strategy. That approach means he often balances short-term tactical choices against longer-term procedural considerations such as preservation for appeal.
As of 2026 he maintains a practice that centers on litigation and trial matters in Arkansas and on legal work that may require appellate filings or broader federal attention. He is admitted to the Arkansas bar and to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, and his current practice focuses on trial litigation and related appellate work.
