NEIL HAYES
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL
Neil Hayes is Executive Vice President, General Counsel for Guaranteed Rate, Inc., one of the largest and fastest-growing non-bank mortgage lenders in the United States. At Guaranteed Rate, Neil and his team handle M&A, commercial contracts, litigation, employment, intellectual property, privacy and security, and regulatory compliance matters. Prior to Guaranteed Rate, Neil spent over 3 years at Sears Holdings Corporation as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, with responsibility for the company’s digital transformation efforts, and nearly 11 years at Classified Ventures, LLC, a joint venture of leading newspaper companies, including Tribune Company, the Washington Post Company, and Gannett Company, Inc. Before Classified Ventures, Neil was an associate with Baker & McKenzie and McDermott, Will & Emery in Chicago. Neil received an A.B. in History from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Neil is a Michigan native and currently resides in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and two children.