Our Staff
Meet the Attorneys & Staff of Hayes & Hayes, LLC
Who We Are
Meet the Team
Wes Hayes
Attorney
A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Wes Hayes earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1975 from the United States Military Academy at West Point. While attending West Point, he was President of the Class of 1975 and Battalion Commander.
After serving five years in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, Wes earned his J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina in 1983. While attending the University of South Carolina School of Law, Wes served as President of the Student Bar Association and was a member of the South Carolina Law Review and Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. He also earned membership in the distinctive Order of the Coif and Order of the Wig & Robe. Mr. Hayes was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and the U.S. District Court of South Carolina in 1983.
Wes served in the South Carolina Senate, District 15 from 1991 to 2016, serving on the Banking and Insurance Committee, Ethics Committee, Finance Committee, Education Committee, and Medical Affairs Committee. Wes also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 46 from 1985 to 1991.
Wes is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Kiwanis Club, the Gideons, Palmetto Council of the Boy Scouts Board, the Westminster Towers Retirement Community Board, Guardian Fidelity Board, and the local South State Bank Board. He is currently the Chair of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, having been appointed to that position by Governor Henry McMaster in 2018.
Wes is active in a number of professional organizations including the South Carolina Bar Association, the York County Bar Association, and the Christian Legal Society. He is married to the former Sally Shurley and has three children, Wes III, Creighton, and Margaret.
Wes’ primary focus with the firm is in the areas of personal injury and Social Security disability, although he also handles probate matters such as wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare powers of attorney.
Creighton Hayes
Attorney
Creighton Hayes is a partner in the firm focusing his practice on the areas of criminal defense, family law, personal injury, and general civil litigation. Creighton is committed to representing his clients in York County and the surrounding areas effectively and to seeking the best legal result in any given case.
A lifelong Rock Hill resident, Creighton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wofford College in 2008. A recipient of the Palmetto Boys State Scholarship, Creighton was an active member of Sigma Nu Fraternity while at Wofford, serving in leadership roles as the organization’s Recorder and Lieutenant Commander his junior and senior years.
In 2011, Creighton graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he was a member of the Southeastern Environmental Law Journal. During law school, Creighton worked for two years as a law clerk at Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A., a full-service litigation firm in Columbia serving all of South Carolina.
After earning his law degree, Creighton worked for a year as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Lee S. Alford, Resident Circuit Judge in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit. He then worked for three years in the Public Defender’s Office for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit in York, South Carolina. While an Assistant Public Defender, he represented over 1,500 clients in a wide variety of criminal cases. Working in the Public Defender’s Office was a valuable experience where Creighton gained significant trial experience and expertise in the area of criminal defense in South Carolina.
Creighton is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association and York County Bar Association. He serves on the York County Forever Commission, the Winthrop University Foundation Board of Directors, and is currently the Chairman of the Saluda Counseling Center Board of Directors. He is also a board member of the Rock Hill Rotary Club.
Creighton lives in Rock Hill. He enjoys spending time with his family and pet, Maddie, boating and skiing on Lake Wylie, traveling, golfing, and attending USC Gamecock and Winthrop Eagle sporting events.
Susan Y. Adkins
Paralegal
A York County native, Susan received two Associates Degrees in Management and in General Business from York Technical College. Susan has twenty-eight years of experience as a paralegal and has served as a paralegal for Wes Hayes since 1986. Susan is married to L. Wayne Adkins and they have one son, William Hunter Adkins.
Leila C. Matthews
Receptionist
After graduating from Rock Hill High School in 1986, Leila Matthews attended York Technical College. Leila joined Harrelson, Hayes & Guyton in November, 1998 as a real estate paralegal. Currently, she serves as the receptionist for Hayes & Hayes, LLC. Leila is married to Michael D. Matthews. They have one daughter and son-in-law, Whitney and Ben Reinken.