17-year-old from Tulare County becomes youngest person to pass California bar exam

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — A 17-year-old boy from Tulare County has made legal history by becoming the youngest person ever to pass the California bar exam, according to the Tulare County District Attorney.

Law clerk Peter Park passed the difficult test on his first try at the age of 17.

Research shows that the previous record holder was an 18-year-old.

Park was 13 years old when he first started high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, CA in 2019.

At the same time, Park also enrolled himself in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law.

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He was able to do this by taking advantage of a state bar rule that allows any student to apply to law school after completing College Level Proficiency Exams.

He then graduated high school early in 2021 by taking the California High School Proficiency Exam.

He focused on law and graduated by 2023, officially becoming a law clerk with the Tulare County District Attorney in August.

Park just recently turned 18 in late November and was officially sworn in on Tuesday, December 5 in Visalia.

He is now one of California’s youngest practicing attorneys.

He had this to say about his amazing accomplishment,

It was not easy, but it was worth it. 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. I aspire to become a prosecutor because I am driven by a moral obligation to uphold liberty, equality, and justice in society. I admire how prosecutors keep our community safe and bring closure to victims.