About Hays Firm
We are a small firm with the relationships, experience, and expertise required to navigate today’s complex legal system. As a small firm, we can give your matter the focused attention it deserves. By collaborating closely and sharing knowledge as a team, you – the client – get wider points of view and ultimately, more value. We develop a deep understanding of our client’s case and needs, and are nimble and motivated to accommodate a wide variety of clients. In turn, we have the flexibility to offer innovative fee structures tailored to meet your needs. You are our priority.
Our Mission
Our Core Values
Our core values distinguish Hays Firm LLC from other Chicago firms. These core values provide the basis for all of our representations whether we are drafting a will or embarking on a complex estate dispute. Our attorneys embody these core values in their behaviors and in their decisions.
INTEGRITY AND HONESTY
In the legal profession, an attorney’s words and actions provide insight into their character. At Hays Firm LLC, our attorneys are successful because they are committed to fairness, honor, and truth. We offer our clients honest and fair advice.
EXCELLENCE
We consistently strive to produce the highest quality work for our clients. Additionally, our attorneys offer professionalism and calm expertise when our clients are in the midst of an emotional and turbulent situation.
SERVICE
We provide quality legal services to our clients. We are accessible by phone and email and responsive to our clients’ needs. Our attorneys are also encouraged to participate in nonprofit work and public service to the community.
RESPECT
At Hays Firm LLC, we take pride in our work and in each other. We act responsibly and professionally in and out of the courtroom. We respect that our clients are often facing emotional issues such as death and disability. Our goal is to provide legal advice that offers clients the ability to resolve their legal issues with respect and dignity.
The Team
Our legal team has knowledge and experience to guide our clients through difficult legal procedures and issues. We are dedicated to providing quality legal services with integrity and respect for our clients.
Andrew Hays Principal
The principal of the firm and a graduate of Loyola University Chicago (1997) and the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law (2005). During law school, Mr. Hays served as a judicial intern for Judge Allan S. Goldberg, who presides over commercial matters in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Mr. Hays concentrates his practice in the areas of probate, estate and trust litigation, small business law and commercial litigation, and is a member of the Trust and Estates divisions of both the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.
Mr. Hays is a member of the Illinois Bar and is also admitted to practice in the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of the United States District Court. Mr. Hays’s admission to the federal bar includes membership in the Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar. Mr. Hays was named an Illinois Super Lawyer in the fields of Estate Planning and Probate for 2020. Nominations came from other Illinois attorneys and only 2.5% of the attorneys in Illinois receive this award annually. Previously, Mr. Hays was selected by Super Lawyers as an Illinois Rising Star in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Antonia Hays Firm Partner
Ms. Hays is a partner at Hays Firm LLC. She received her B. A. from Loyola University Chicago (1996) and graduated magna cum laude. Ms. Hays received her J. D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law (2001). She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor.
Her practice includes the handling of complex and multiparty litigation involving estates and trusts, guardianship matters, contractual disputes, commercial disputes, breach of contract actions, and other areas of civil litigation.
Ms. Hays is a member of the Illinois Bar and is also admitted to practice in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association. Ms. Hays was named as a 2011 Illinois Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine in the field of Business Litigation.
Sarah Buck Attorney
Ms. Buck is a graduate of Valparaiso University (1999) and Chicago-Kent College of Law (2009). While in law school, Ms. Buck was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and the winner of the National Health Law Moot Court competition. Upon graduation, Ms. Buck clerked for the Honorable Lee Preston while he served in both the Law Division and Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Ms. Buck’s practice includes probate and trust administration, estate planning, guardianship matters, trust and estates litigation, contractual disputes, commercial disputes, and other areas of civil litigation. Ms. Buck was named an Illinois Rising Star by Super Lawyers in Chicago Magazine in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Only 2.5% of Illinois attorneys are beneficiaries of this award every year, and are nominated by other Illinois attorneys.
william burgess attorney
Mr. Burgess received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2017) and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law (2022). During law school, Mr. Burgess was a member of the Appellate Moot Court Society and served as a judicial extern for Judge Michael Scudder on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Mr. Burgess concentrates his practice in the areas of probate, estate and trust litigation, guardianship matters, commercial disputes, and other areas of civil litigation. Mr. Burgess is a member of the Illinois Bar, the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
Jaime Nolan Paralegal
Ms. Nolan graduated from Indiana University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Tourism Management. After working in the hospitality industry for several years, she obtained the ABA Certified Paralegal Certificate from the College of Lake County in 2012 where she earned a 4.0 GPA and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Ms. Nolan has worked at Hays Firm LLC since 2012.
Abigail Hack Paralegal
Ms. Hack graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021 with a degree in Global Studies and History. In college, she was a member of the Campus Honors Program, a prestigious program for 120 students in each grade campus wide and was inducted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Hack has been with Hays Firm since 2021.
