About Robert E.
Robert E. Hayes is a South Dakota-educated lawyer whose academic path stayed close to home. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of South Dakota in 1973 and remained at the same school to earn his Juris Doctor in 1976. Those years set the foundation for a long career in law that has unfolded in the upper Midwest.
Hayes entered the legal profession after finishing law school and has spent decades in private practice. Over the years he has been part of the legal community in the region, moving through the daily work of counseling clients, preparing filings and appearing in court. His approach to cases is steady and workmanlike. He favors clear analysis and careful preparation over flash.
Colleagues describe Hayes as methodical in handling complex matters. He has navigated transactional work and litigation alike, taking on tasks that require patience and attention to detail. That bent toward thoroughness has marked his dealings with opposing counsel, judges and clients. Hayes tends to focus on practical solutions that can be implemented rather than theoretical wins on paper.
Outside the office he has remained connected to the legal world through professional membership. He has maintained those ties while carrying a typical lawyer’s load of client work and firm responsibilities. Over time he has also mentored younger attorneys and paralegals, passing on routines and lessons learned from long practice. Those informal teaching moments are a quieter part of his contribution to the profession.
He practices at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP. At the firm he continues to apply a pragmatic, detail-oriented style to client matters, concentrating his current practice on serving the needs presented to him by the firm’s clients.
