Judge Hugh D. Hayes: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Hugh D. Hayes (Ret) was a judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. Hayes was appointed to the bench by former Governor Bob Graham in 1982. He retired in 2023 and entered into private practice at Gunster in Naples

The 20th Judicial Circuit encompasses Charlotte County, Collier County, Glades County, Hendry County, and Lee County. Over the course of his judicial career, Hayes presided over cases in the civil and probate/guardianship divisions. He also sat as Chief Judge of the 20th Judicial Circuit (2003 to 2007), serving as an associate judge for the Florida Second District Court of Appeal and a judicial liaison to the Florida Bar's Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section.

Prior to his appointment, Hayes was a judge for the Collier County Court, a position to which he was named by former Governor Rubin Askew in 1978. Before that, he was an attorney in private practice, serving as general counsel to the Collier County School Board.

He completed his B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1970. He went on to earn a J.D. from the

University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law, in 1972. Hayes also holds an M.J.S. from the University of Nevada, National Judicial College, which he earned in 1988.

His memberships have included the Michael R. N. McDonnell American Inns of Court and the Collier County Bar Association, of which he served as president-elect. He has also been involved with the Florida Supreme Court's Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court, its Committee on District Court of Appeal Workload and Jurisdiction, and its Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases.

He was named Jurist of the Year by the American Board of Trial Advocates (Southwest Florida Chapter) in 2015.

Born in Durham, North Carolina, Hayes is a veteran of the Military Intelligence Branch of the United States Army. He served from 1972 to 1984, retiring with the rank of captain.