In 1961, Hazel became a general district court judge in Fairfax County, and served in that capacity until 1963. He then returned to private practice, forming in 1963 his own law firm Hazel, Beckhorn & Hanes. Headquartered in Fairfax County, the firm specialized in all aspects of real estate law. By 1987, Hazel, Beckhorn & Hanes had grown to 65 lawyers. In that same year, the firm merged with Thomas & Fiske, an Alexandria, Virginia-based firm. The resulting entity, Hazel, Thomas, Fiske, Beckhorn & Hanes comprised 118 lawyers. In 1990, the firm shortened its name to Hazel & Thomas, PC.