2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: RUDENE MERCER HAYNES

Haynes joined the law firm now known as Hunton Andrews Kurth in 1999, following her graduation from the University of Texas School of Law.

Last year, Haynes was named managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office, its largest location. She’s enthusiastic about serving as the face of the firm and is focused on improving staff connectivity, fostering a welcoming environment for new attorneys and building the firm’s brand.

Additionally, Haynes is a co-leader of the firm’s servicer advance financing practice. Historically, she has represented Ginnie Mae, the federal government’s mortgage corporation, in its multiclass and mortgage-backed securities programs. The firm earns top rankings for representing issuers and underwriters in U.S. asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities.

A force in the community, Haynes sits on numerous boards including the Advisory Board of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center. She’s also a founding member of the Richmond & Henrico Public Health Foundation board. In November 2025, Haynes was appointed to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s transition committee.

HOW I CHOSE MY CAREER: I’ve always been fascinated with numbers and thought about being an astronaut or an engineer when I was growing up. As a math major planning to graduate a year early from the University of Virginia, I decided to apply to law school while studying abroad in Valencia, Spain. I was a first-generation college (and law) student, and I didn’t have any lawyers in my family. I honestly applied to law school because I knew that I wasn’t quite ready for the work world and friends suggested that I’d be a good lawyer because I talked a lot.

HOBBIES: In addition to hot yoga (which I really need to get back to in the brutally cold winter months ahead), I have deepened my resolve to improve my Spanish-speaking skills.