Hayden Lait has been in the private practice of law for 34 years with an emphasis on commercial , personal injury, and domestic litigation. For the past 15 years his emphasis has been on mediation. Until May, 2000 he was certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the State of Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Due to the change in focus of his practice from litigation to mediation he has not maintained his certification.

He is a Distinguished Fellow and past President of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators . Hayden is certified mediator and arbitrator by FINRA. He is listed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Rule 31 mediator and is a member of the mediation panel for U.S. District Courts, Western District of TN.

Since 1994, he has participated in excess of 450 hours of mediation training as a trainer and participant, and has conducted over 1,200 mediations. He was chairperson of the ADR Committee of the Memphis Bar Association for 3 years and co-chair of the Memphis chapter of the Mediation Association of Tennessee.

Hayden is an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis School of Law teaching negotiation and mediation skills. In January of 2002 he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Tennessee to the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission and has served as chairperson since January of 2006.