James Hays is a partner in the Labor & Employment Practice Group at SheppardMullin’s New York office and is a team leader of the firm's Traditional Labor Law Team. James' practice focuses on management labor and employment law. He represents clients in collective bargaining negotiations, labor arbitrations, and all stages of the labor election process, including election campaigns and hearings before the National Labor Relations Board. He also represents clients in employment litigation in federal and state courts, as well as various arbitration forums, and in proceedings before various administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the United States Department of Labor, and state agencies throughout the United States.

James has written and presented on numerous issues related to labor law and has been selected as a New York Super Lawyer for eight years in a row (2013-2021). He graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1982 with a B.A. in Politics and received his law degree in 1990 from New York Law School. 

James and his wife, Caroline, have been married for 32 years and currently live in New Canaan, CT. They have 2 sons, Christian and Quinn.