James Hayes

James. M. Hayes joined Hinman, Howard & Kattell in 1968 and focuses his practice on housing issues, guardianship, estate planning, special needs trusts, and disability issues including Medicaid, Medicare and disability benefits, as well as banking and commercial law.

Jim has significant experience in helping people with disabilities and their families. Jim has handled hundreds of proceedings for the appointment of guardians for the developmentally disabled, persons with mental illness, and the elderly with reduced cognitive ability. He has assisted many families in establishing special needs trusts to preserve eligibility for government benefits and in long range planning of estates and trusts for families with disabled children. Jim also has extensive experience in the development and financing of subsidized housing for the elderly and disabled, including the use of low income housing tax credits and historic preservation tax credits as financing devices.

In addition to his law practice helping individuals with disabilities, Jim also deeply committed to volunteer work with NYSARC, Inc., the nation’s largest organization serving the developmentally disabled, ACHIEVE, the Broome County affiliate of NYSARC, Inc., the Mental Health Association in Broome County, and SEPP Elderly Housing Group. He also served in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps from 1965 to 1968, rising to the rank of Captain, and is certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to represent veterans with the Department.