Kristin V. Hayes
Partner
Kristin V. Hayes joined the firm in 2000 and became a partner in 2008. She is a 1995 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and she received her J.D. from the Seton Hall University School of Law in 1999. Kristin was admitted to the bars of New Jersey and the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in 1999. During the 1999-2000 term, she served as the law clerk to the Honorable Amy P. Chambers, P.J.S.C., Middlesex County.
Kristin’s practice focuses on employment and commercial litigation and construction law. She has litigated cases in the Superior Court of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the Office of Administrative Law. She also has argued several appeals before the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, and the New Jersey Supreme Court.
In addition to litigating numerous employment and commercial matters, Kristin has given seminars on a wide array of topics, including the New Jersey Family Leave Act and Paid Family Leave Act, Federal Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, HIPAA, New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, and Conscientious Employee Protection Act, as well as on the issues of restrictive covenants, sexual harassment, workplace investigations, and legal cannabis use. She also has extensive experience in performing workplace investigations and providing management training on a wide array of employment subjects.
In the commercial and construction context, Kristin has represented various commercial entities in breach of contract and Uniform Commercial Code disputes. Kristin also has nearly 20 years of experience in negotiating construction contracts on behalf of both owners, private and public, and general contractors.
Kristin authored “Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in the Workplace in the Era of Legal Cannabis Use,” N.J.L.J. (2021), and “Tax Implications When an Employee is Terminated,” 216 N.J.L.J. 559 (2014). She co-authored “Guidance Still Awaited on FMLA Leave Remedy,” 13 N.J.L.J. 2139 (2004), and “CEPA: When Whistleblowing is Just Part of Your Duties,” 207 N.J.L.J. 830 (2012). She also contributed to the New Jersey Law Journal’s annual insert “New Jersey Supreme Court Year in Review” in the area of commercial law.
Kristin was included on the Super Lawyer Rising Star list in Employment Law every year from 2006 through 2013, and on the Super Lawyers list in Employment Law every year since 2015¹. She is a member of several Bar Associations, including the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Morris County and Somerset County Bar Associations, and the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.
In 2016, the Morris County Bar Association awarded Kristin with its Pro Bono Service Award.
Kristin is a former adjunct professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law, where she taught legal research and writing. She currently resides in Somerset County with her husband and two daughters.
Speaking Engagements
3/29/2023 – National Business Institute
Workplace Investigations seminar
(Webcast)
3/8/2022 – National Business Institute
Employee Internal Investigations: The Ultimate Legal Guide
(Webcast)
10/27/2021 –Thomson Reuters/West
Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in New Jersey Workplaces in the Era of Legal Cannabis Use
(Webcast)
10/19/2021 – National Business Institute
How to Manage ADA- and FMLA-Related Leave
(Webinar)
12/19/2018 – National Business Institute
Advanced Trial Tactics
(Presentation – Toms River, NJ)
11/28/2018 – National Business Institute
Human Resource Law From Start to Finish
(Presentation – Hasbrouck Heights, NJ)
3/19/2016 – New Jersey State Bar Association
Restrictive Covenant Seminar
(Presentation – Fairfield, NJ)
¹ No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Information about Super Lawyers and the selection process can be found on their website at www.superlawyers.com.