Prof. M. Jonathan Hayes

Mr. Hayes is senior counsel to RHM Law, LLP, a boutique firm of six attorneys located in Encino, California.  The firm practices bankruptcy and insolvency law and general civil litigation.   

Recent employment:

BAP Law Clerk to Hon. Laura Taylor, February 2022 to December 31, 2022

BAP Law Clerk to Hon. William Lafferty, May 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023

Specialty Areas:

Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Appeals

Certified Bankruptcy Specialist, California Bar Association, Board of Legal Specialization, 2007 to 2023.

Education:

Loyola University School of Law (J.D., 1977)

Loyola University (B.A., 1971)

Gonzaga University (1967 to 1970)

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution of the Pepperdine University School of Law, 30 hours (Certificate received 1995)

During his 45 years of private practice, M. Jonathan Hayes concentrated his practice in bankruptcy and corporate - business litigation.  He represented many Chapter 11 debtors, businesses and individuals, and effected many successful reorganization plans.  

From 2012 through 2022, Mr. Hayes filed or had otherwise taken-over approximately 143 chapter 11 cases including 112 cases for individuals primarily trying to save their homes and other real property.   

Mr. Hayes has prosecuted and defended about sixty bankruptcy appeals to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, the district court, and the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals, and about ten appeals in the California Court of Appeals. 

Mr. Hayes prosecuted and defended complaints to declare debts non-dischargeable, to deny the discharge and other bankruptcy related litigation matters.  He defended several fraudulent conveyance actions brought by trustees in so-called Ponzi schemes.  He filed many Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petitions for clients and handled many bankruptcies commenced because of tax problems of the debtors. 

Mr. Hayes is President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Association (“cdcbaa”) for 2026 and was past President, 2013 and 2014.

In addition, Mr. Hayes was previously    

·      a Lawyer Representative to the Central District Judicial Conference, 2014 to 2019.

·      on the Board of Editors of the California Bankruptcy Journal 2001 to 2020. 

·      on the Board of Directors and a member of the James T. King Bankruptcy Inn of the Court in Los Angeles, 2010 to 2019.

·      on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum, 2013 to 2018.

·      a member of the Insolvency Law Committee of the Business Law Section of the California Lawyers Assn, 2019 to 2022.

·      a member of the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, Bankruptcy Law Advisory Commission (“BLAC”), 2010 to 2018.  He was Vice-Chairman for the year 2016-2017 and Chairman for the year 2017-2018.  The BLAC prepared and graded the bi-annual examination for candidates for legal specialization and certifies those who are entitled to be certified.

Mr. Hayes has been a member of the panel of mediators of the Bankruptcy Mediation Program for the Central District of California from the program's inception in 1995 to 2022.  He estimates that he has presided over at least 150 mediations in total. 

Published and other important cases:

·      In re Reynoso, 315 B.R. 544 (9th Cir. BAP 2004), aff’d 477 F.3d 1117 (9th Cir. 2006).

·      In re Kagenveama, 541 F.3d 868 (9th Cir. 2008) (“on the brief” for the NACBA Amicus Brief)

·      In re Penrod, 611 F.3d 1158 (9^th Cir. 2010) (“on the brief” for a group of professors Amicus Brief)

·      Sherman v. SEC (In re Sherman), 658 F.3d 1009 (9^th Cir 2011) (successful representation of an attorney against the Securities and Exchange Commission)

·      Williams v. Sato (In re Sato), 512 B.R. 241 (Bkrtcy C. D. CA. 2014 J. Tighe) (successful prosecution of non-dischargeability complaint) 

·      Avery v. Obedian (In re Obedian), 546 B.R. 409 (Bkrtcy C. D. CA. 2016 J. Kwan) (successful claim that home was community property) 

·      In re Kashikar, 567 B.R. 160 (9^th Cir. BAP 2017) (pro bono, successfully reversed order on student loan)

·      In re Lua, 2017 WL 2799989, (unpublished) (9^th Cir 2017) (on the brief for the NACBA Amicus Brief) (successfully reversed order denying exemption to debtor)

·      In re Taylor, 2017 WL 3429029 (unpublished) (9^th Cir. BAP 2017) (successfully reversed order of $153,000 in sanctions against an attorney)

·      Best Service Co. v. Bayley (In re Bayley), 678 F. App’x 593 (9th Cir. 2017) (successfully defended bankruptcy court’s order that creditor violated the automatic stay)

·      Kassas v. State Bar of California (In re Kassas), 49 F.4th 1158 (9th Cir. Aug. 2022) (debt owed by disbarred attorney to client security fund is discharged reversing the bankruptcy court).  

·      In re Baroni, 36 F.4^th 958 (9th Cir. 2022) (relates to what is property of the estate when a chapter 11 is converted to chapter 7).   

In 2025, Mr. Hayes became the Managing Editor of the Valley Lawyer magazine of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association.

On November 10, 2022, Mr. Hayes received the Attorney of the Year Award from the Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Assn (“cdcbaa”).  The award is given to the attorney who “exemplifies compassion, understanding and concern for the individual consumers.”  The award was presented to him at the cdcbaa annual Calvin Ashland Awards Dinner. 

On November 3, 2016, Mr. Hayes received the Hon. Thomas B. Donovan Excellence Award from the Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Assn (“cdcbaa”).  The award is given for “excellence in writing or advocacy, service to the court or service to the bar.”  The award was presented to him at the cdcbaa annual Calvin Ashland Awards Dinner. 

On June 21, 2012 and again on October 25, 2018, Mr. Hayes received the Hon. William J. Lazarow Award from Public Counsel and the Debtor Assistance Project for Outstanding Pro Bono Service to the Community.

Mr. Hayes has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of West Los Angeles (previously University of LaVerne School of Law) for the past 33 years where he has taught Bankruptcy, Business Organizations, Contracts, Advanced Bankruptcy Issues, Commercial Law, and Taxation.  Before that he was on the adjunct faculty of Whittier School of Law for four years.     

Mr. Hayes is the author of four books entitled, “A Summary of Chapter 13” published in November 2019; “A Summary of Bankruptcy Law, Third Edition” published in December, 2016; “Bankruptcy Jurisprudence from the Supreme Court, Second Edition” published in 2016; and “Melvyn ‘Deacon’ Jones: My 40 years with the Blues Legends,” published in 2004.  All are available on Amazon.com.          

Mr. Hayes is married and has four children.  He has lived in Northridge for 44 years.