He was educated at the Belfast Academical Institution, and in 1820 entered Trinity College Dublin, where he proceeded B.A.
[2] Hayes was appointed by the benchers of the King's Inns as lecturer in constitutional and criminal law.
In 1859 he succeeded Philip Cecil Crampton in the Court of Queen's Bench (Ireland), but was compelled in 1866 to absent himself owing to ill-health.
He resigned in Michaelmas term of that year, and died at his house at Bray, County Wicklow, 29 April 1867.
In 1837 he published reports of cases in the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) 1830 to 1832, and in 1843, with Thomas Jones, a continuation from 1832 to 1834.