Lee was born in 1890 during the 27th year of King Gojong's reign in Shinri, Jicheon-myeon, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
During the spring of 1908, Lee moved to Seoul where he attended Gyeongseong Law School.
In 1914, he became a judge and was appointed to the Miryang Branch of the Daegu District Court [ko].
[1] He was appointed to the position of prosecutor in 1915 before returning to the Daegu District Court as a judge in 1920.
In 1927, he left the court and returned to Daegu to open a law firm.