By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Nelson Lee
Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Nelson Lee to the King County Superior Court on Feb. 18. He replaces Judge Bill Bowman, who was recently appointed to the Court of Appeals, Division I.
Lee has managed his own law firm for the past 10 years, where his practice focused on immigration, personal injury, wrongful death, and criminal defense cases.
“Much of my legal practice over the past nine years has involved immigration counseling,” said Lee. “The potential adverse impact of arrests and convictions on a person’s non-immigrant or immigrant status has been alarmingly exacerbated and muddied by the Trump administration. This immigration knowledge would serve me well as a judge in both the criminal and civil contexts.”
Before founding his firm, Lee & Lee, PS with his wife, Bethany Mito, Lee worked as senior deputy prosecuting attorney for the Office of the King County Prosecuting Attorney for 17 years.
There, he served as supervisor of the Special Assault Unit at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center and co-chair of the Special Drug Unit. He is a past president of the Asian Bar Association of Washington, a long-time volunteer with the International District Legal Clinic, and currently serves on the Board of Seniors in Action Foundation as a legal adviser.
“Nelson has a breadth of experience on a variety of issues, including immigration,” Inslee said. “His unique, diverse legal background will serve him well. He is also an experienced trial lawyer, and he will be ready to try cases on day one. He will make an excellent addition to the bench.”
Lee received his law degree from the Pepperdine University School of Law and his bachelor’s from Boston College.
Staff can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.