Jim Hayes became a full-time mediator / arbitrator in 2012 after spending a year as a Vice Chair at the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Jim was one of the three founding partners of the Cavalluzzo law firm (1983) and represented clients for over thirty years in labour relations matters across Canada. He also appeared before American arbitrators on behalf of the NHLPA.
Prior to becoming a neutral, Jim received the preeminent AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and was named by his peers year after year as a leading labour lawyer in such publications as: Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada; Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Labour and Employment Lawyers; Chambers Global; Lexpert Canadian Directory (most frequently recommended); Best Lawyers in Canada. He is a past Chair of the Labour Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario).
Jim has been named as a panel Arbitrator in numerous collective agreements in virtually every sector of the economy and, as well, to the Player Agent Arbitration Panel by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Jim is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators, a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers (USA) and a member of the Ontario Labour Management Arbitrators’ Association.