Josh Hayes is a graduate of the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery, where he served on the editorial board of the Jones Law Review. Josh served previously as a senior aide to former Governor Don Siegelman and as Legislative Director to Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley.

He graduated, cum laude, from The University of Alabama's College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1998 with an Honor's Degree in Accounting and a minor in Computer-Based Honors. While at The University, Josh served as president of Capstone Men & Women and as a member of the SGA Senate, the Jasons, Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board and the Anderson Society. He was named as The University’s Outstanding Senior in 1998.

Josh was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2004. He is a member of the Alabama Association for Justice where he serves on the Board of Governors, the American Association for Justice, and serves on the advisory board of The University of Alabama’s Blackburn Institute, a group whose purpose is to create a network of student leaders who strive to improve the quality of life for all of Alabama's citizens. Josh also does pro bono work through the Alabama Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyer Program. He is married to the former Carrie Ann Bentley, a Registered Nurse at Hospice of West Alabama. They are members of the First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa.