The Hon. Lydia C. Lai is a judge for the New York City Housing Court in Queens County. She was first appointed to the Housing Court bench in 2003 by the Hon. Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Administrative Judge of the State of New York. Since that time, Judge Lai has received reappointments to the bench in 2008 by the Hon. Ann Pfau, and in 2013 by the Hon. A. Gail Prudenti, during their tenure as Chief Administrative Judge.
Judge Lai received her B.A. from Brown University in 1987. She went on to earn a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1990.
Lai began her legal career in private practice. She joined the law firm Paul Hastings, Janofsky, and Walker LLP in 1990, where she practiced as an associate for two years.
After leaving the firm in 1992, Lai went to work as a senior court attorney for the New York State Supreme Court. Then, in 1996, she became an assistant deputy counsel for the New York State Office of Court Administration. She held that position until serving as counsel for the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board in 1999. Lai was serving in that capacity at the time of her appointment to the Housing Court bench.