Kevin Hayes to Receive OU Law's Prestigious Eugene Kuntz Award

NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma College of Law will honor Tulsa attorney Kevin Hayes with the Eugene Kuntz Award on Nov. 10 at the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Reception in the Oklahoma City Convention Center.

Hayes, a shareholder and senior litigator with Hall Estill, will be recognized for his successful career and contributions to oil and gas law, including representing clients before the Federal Energy Administration and having published several articles. Currently, he is lead counsel in a number of major class actions involving oil and gas royalty owner claims.

“Hall Estill is very pleased for Kevin to receive this award honoring the legacy of Dean Kuntz, which past winners have embraced, including our partner, Jim Hardwick,” said Steve Ray, Hall Estill managing partner. “Kevin has served his clients and our firm very well, made substantial contributions to the practice of energy law, and we are happy to see him recognized in such a meaningful way.”

Hayes graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he earned his juris doctorate. He joined Hall Estill in 1975 and was named one of the Best Lawyers in America in the category of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Energy Law. Additionally, Hayes was named an Oklahoma Super Lawyer in Energy & Natural Resources, Tulsa’s Energy Lawyer of the Year in 2011, the Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year Energy – Tulsa in 2016, and the Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year Bet-the-Company Litigation – Tulsa in 2020.

“I am humbled to be this year’s recipient,” Hayes said. “I have practiced energy law with Hall Estill for nearly 50 years and have enjoyed virtually every minute of it. This award is a wonderful, albeit unexpected, tribute to a career I have found stimulating and rewarding.”

The award is named for former OU Law dean and noted oil and gas professor Eugene Kuntz. The award is presented annually in conjunction with the Eugene Kuntz Conference on Natural Resources Law and Policy, one of the largest conferences in the nation specifically focusing on oil and gas law. The conference, which will be held Nov. 11 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, is hosted by OU Law and the Energy and Natural Resources Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association.

For more information on the Kuntz Conference, visit law.ou.edu/Kuntz-Conference.