Rudjard Melvin Hayes

Rudjard M. Hayes is a Partner at Sanchez Hayes & Associates, LLC, based in Tyrone, Georgia. He oversees the firm's criminal and civil litigation sections and co-chairs the domestic section. Before joining the firm in 2007, Mr. Hayes served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney in both the Griffin and Coweta Judicial Circuits.

Mr. Hayes dedicates a significant portion of his practice to criminal defense, representing clients accused of various offenses in city, state, superior, and federal courts. His expertise also extends to civil litigation, handling complex business transactions, family law, contract disputes, and employment issues. He has extensive trial experience, having conducted hundreds of criminal felony and misdemeanor jury trials, as well as numerous civil trials across all court levels.

Mr. Hayes earned his Juris Doctorate Degree from the College of Law at Georgia State University and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1996. He is deeply involved in community activities, including founding a Mock Trial Team at his son's high school in 2005. From 2006 to 2012, he served as an adjunct professor at Georgia State University, coaching the university's Mock Trial Team.

In addition, Mr. Hayes taught at Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia, from September 2008 to April 2009. He developed and coached Mercer’s Mock Trial Teams, leading one to win a national championship at the ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition in Chicago. His dedication to the legal field and community service was recognized in 2008 with the Justice Rober award.