 Following law school, Haynes spent a year as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge James B. McMillan, an appointee of President Lyndon B. Johnson who famously ordered that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County school system should integrate by means of crosstown busing.Following his clerkship, Haynes was commissioned an army second lieutenant through the ROTC program and entered active duty in 1984.He served four years, advising and representing the Department of the Army in matters ranging from international research and development agreements, to hazardous waste cleanups, to government contracts.