Las Vegas attorney Patricia Lee was appointed to the Nevada Supreme Court Monday by Gov. Steve Sisolak, filling the seat vacated in September by Justice Abbi Silver.

Lee, a partner at the Hutchison and Steffen law firm in Las Vegas, where she has worked since 2002, was one of three attorneys submitted to Sisolak by the Judicial Selection Committee last week, along with Washoe County District Judge Scott Freeman and Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones.

Silver, who was elected to Nevada Supreme Court in 2018, said in a letter to Sisolak she was resigning “due to unforeseen circumstances,” and to spend more time with her family. Lee will serve through the remainder of her term, which ends in 2025.

Lee was born in Korea to an African American military father and a native Korean mother. She is the first African American woman and the first Asian American to serve on the Nevada Supreme Court. 

“The breadth and depth of her skill set and her personal and professional experience make her an incredible addition to the state’s highest court,” Sisolak said in a statement.

Hutchison and Steffen partner Mark Hutchison is a member of the transition team for Gov.-Elect Joe Lombardo and he chaired Lombardo’s gubernatorial campaign against Sisolak. 

Lee has primarily practiced complex commercial litigation for the law firm, but she has also practiced trademark law, family law and appellate law.

Lee earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a law degree from George Washington University Law School.