A teenager recently became the youngest person to pass the California bar exam at 17 years old, the Tulare County District Attorney’s office announced Wednesday.
Peter Park of Tulare, located in central California, has broken the previous record of being the youngest person to pass the bar. The District Attorney’s office says that according to research, the previous record holder was 18 years old.
Park received his test results on Nov. 9 after taking the exam in July. He turned 18 in November.
“It was not easy, but it was worth it,” Park said. “It required discipline and strategy to pass the Bar and I made it in the end. I am extremely blessed to have discovered this path, and my hope is that more people will realize that alternative paths exist to becoming an attorney.”
At age 13 in 2019, Park began high school and simultaneously enrolled in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law.
Park graduated in 2023 and is now a law clerk with the Tulare County District Attorney.
“I aspire to become a prosecutor because I am driven by a moral obligation to uphold liberty, equality, and justice in society,” he said. “I admire how prosecutors keep our community safe and bring closure to victims.”