District Court Judge Dina Yehia and barrister Dr Nicholas Chen were both appointed as judges of the NSW Supreme Court, it was announced on Thursday.

Judge Yehia was admitted as a solicitor in 1989 and began work as a solicitor with the Western Aboriginal Legal Service for seven years, where she appeared for thousands of Aboriginal people in towns such as Bourke, Brewarrina, Wilcannia and Broken Hill.

She went on to work as a solicitor advocate with the Legal Aid Commission and was called to the Bar in 1999, before she was appointed a public defender.

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Judge Yehia was appointed Senior Counsel in 2009 and became the first female Deputy Senior Public Defender in 2013.

Her practice in the Supreme Court included murder trials and the year-long terrorism trial at Paramatta in 2009. In 2013, she appeared as lead counsel in the High Court case of the Queen v Bugmy and in the special leave application in Honeysett.

Judge Yehia has been a judge of the District Court since May 2014.

She is chair of the Ngara Yura committee, which raises awareness amongst judicial officers in relation to Indigenous cultural and social issues. She is also chair of the Walama Working Group and a council member of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration and the National Judicial College of Australia.

Judge Yehia will be sworn in at the Supreme Court on July 4, 2022.

Dr Chen was also be sworn in at the NSW Supreme Court on July 11, 2022.

He was admitted as a solicitor in 1992, before he was called to the Bar in 1998 and in 2016 appointed Senior Counsel.

While at the Bar he has been director of the Barristers' Sickness and Accident Fund (Barcover) and a member of the NSW Bar Association Common Law Committee.

Dr Chen holds a Doctor of Juridical Studies degree from the University of Sydney Law School and received the Academic, Civil and Legal Prize for the highest mark in the NSW Bar exams.

Attorney General Mark Speakman said the NSW justice system is fortunate to be able to call on judicial officers and lawyers of Judge Yehia's and Dr Chen's calibres.

"Her Honour Judge Yehia has enormous experience in criminal law and has long campaigned for social justice," he said.

"Dr Chen brings a wealth of experience in commercial and common law, medical negligence matters, and inquests and inquiries."

"These appointments will further strengthen the Supreme Court bench and ensure our judiciary continues to reflect the NSW community that it serves."