Cornelius B. (Neil) Hayes

Hayes & Hayes was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1913; Cornelius B. (Neil) Hayes provides representation to clients throughout the northeastern part of the state. He focuses his practice exclusively on family law matters, including divorce and related issues such as property division, child custody and visitation, alimony, and child support. Mr. Hayes is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is a Family Law Specialist (as certified by the Family Law Certification Board).  He has been a Board Member of the Indiana Family Law Certification Board since its inception.

A native of Indiana, Mr. Hayes received a Bachelor of Science from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 1974. He then pursued his legal studies at Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was awarded his Juris Doctor in 1979. Admitted to practice before all Indiana state courts, Mr. Hayes is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Indiana, the United States Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Highly regarded by his fellow professionals for his high degree of ethics, Mr. Hayes received an AV Preeminent* peer review rating in 1992 and all successive years through Martindale-Hubbell and holds a 10.0 "Superb" peer review rating through Avvo. He has also been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America each year since 1997 and was named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for Family Law, Fort Wayne (2021).

Mr. Hayes continues to be an active participant in several legal organizations. He is a past chairman of the Family and Juvenile Section of the Indiana State Bar Association and has also been Chairman and a continuous member of the executive committee of the Allen County Bar Association, Family Law Section since 1990.  

He has served the Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana community as a board member and Chairman of the Public Transportation Corporation, he was the Chairman of the Allen County Public Defender Board from 2002 - 2020 and also served as a Board Member of the Fort Wayne - Allen County Airport Authority from 2002 - 2020.  Presently Mr. Hayes serves as a Commissioner on the Fort Wayne Police Department Merit Commission.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.