Meet Hayden

Hayden Lait has been in the private practice of law since 1975, with an emphasis on commercial, personal injury, and domestic relations litigation. He has been serving as a neutral in the capacity of a mediator and arbitrator since 1995. Until May 2000, Hayden was certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the State of Tenn Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Due to the change in focus of his practice from litigation to serving as a neutral, he has not maintained his certification. He was an Honorary & Emeritus Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and served as President from 2005 to 2007. Hayden is a certified arbitrator and mediator by FINRA/ National Association of Securities Dealers. He is listed by the Tenn. Supreme Court as a Rule 31 mediator and is a member of the mediation panel for US District Courts, Western District of Tenn. Since 1994, Hayden has participated in excess of 600 hours of mediation training as a trainer and participant and has conducted over 2200 mediations and arbitrations. He served as chairperson of the ADR Committee of the Memphis Bar Association for three years and co-chair of the Memphis chapter of the Mediation Association of Tenn. From 1997 to 2019, Hayden served as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis School of Law, teaching negotiation and ADR skills.

From 2003 to the present, he has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of mediation. From 2005 to the present, he has been selected for inclusion in the Mid-South Super Lawyers in America in the practice area of Alternate Dispute Resolution. In 2014 & 2021 he was selected as Best Lawyers 2015 & 2022 Memphis Mediation "Lawyer of the year".

In 2002 he was appointed by the TN Supreme Court to the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission and served on the training committee. He served as Commission Chairperson from January 2006 to March 2012 and then served as chair of the Education committee. His term expired in December 2015.

Hayden is a past president of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, Univ. of Memphis School of Law National Alumni, of the Harbor Town Homeowners Association, and a past member of the board of directors of the Memphis Bar Association. He is an Emeritus member of the Leo Bearman Inns of Court and of the Memphis Bar Foundation.