Clay Finley
Attorney & Owner
A southern Illinois native, Clay is licensed in Illinois, Kansas, and California (currently inactive). Before purchasing the Law Office of Alan Farris, now Finley Law Firm, PLLC, he worked for another local law firm. He previously served as corporate counsel for a hospital, oversaw a leadership program and museum for a state university, served as COO for a nonprofit that supported attorneys defending religious freedom overseas, and worked as a staff attorney at the Alabama Supreme Court.
With experience in a health care setting, Clay understands the importance of having well-prepared documents, whether designating someone to act as power of attorney in an emergency, documenting wishes for end-of-life care decisions, or creating an estate plan that secures the things that matter to you for the people you love.
Clay’s experience in corporate and government settings also gives him wide experience with regulatory agencies. We each face a bewildering array of requirements in our personal and professional lives, and the applications and compliance forms that go with them. Clay will work with you to help you understand what is required so that you or your business can proceed with confidence.
Personally, Clay is passionate about creating order and beauty, and curious about the ways social structures and procedures shape and influence human behavior. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law (cum laude), the Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy (magna cum laude), and the Honors Program of the Helms School of Government at Liberty University (summa cum laude).
Julia Hayes
Paralegal
Julia Hayes received her Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, in 2003. Upon graduation she was employed with the legal department of Union Planters Bank in Belleville, Illinois, until 2005.
She then utilized her paralegal studies at the Sparta Community Hospital, where her duties involved handling delinquent accounts, preparing small claims documents, and attending necessary hearings as a representative of the Hospital.
Julia joined Alan Farris’ Law Office in 2006. In addition to having contact with clients, she assists with the preparation of documents in all areas of the Firm’s practice, including municipal law, estate planning, and litigation.
Alan Farris
Of Counsel
Alan Farris served the residents of Southern Illinois as a general practitioner for nearly 45 years. His law practice included the following areas of concentration: litigation, family, commercial, estate planning, real estate, probate and criminal law. Moreover, Alan served as the City Attorney for the City of Sparta from 1991 through 2023. In addition, he served as the Village Attorney for the Villages of Steeleville, Coulterville and Gorham. Furthermore, he acted as general counsel for First National Bank of Sparta, Amateur Trapshooting Association, Gateway FS, Inc. and Sparta Community Hospital District. He also represented many local businesses as both corporate counsel and registered agent.
In his role as a municipal lawyer, he served as the local prosecutor for City ordinance violations. Alan also worked in depth in the complex area of tax increment financing. He is a member of the Illinois Tax Increment Association and has presented programs at the group’s annual meetings both in Springfield and Chicago.
Mr. Farris is a 1972 graduate of Collinsville (Illinois) High School and an alumnus of Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois (B.A. 1976 – magna cum laude).
After graduating from Drake University School of Law in 1979, Alan was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois that same year. He also is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.
Mr. Farris is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, as well as, the Randolph County Bar Association since 1979, serving as President from 2008-2010.
While Mr. Farris has relocated to Florida with his wife, Sarah, he is of counsel and is willing and able to serve the clients of Finley Law Firm and remains an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.
