US teenager sworn in as lawyer after passing state bar exam
9 December 2023, 08:14
Peter Park could be the youngest person to pass the test, taken when he was 17.
A US teenager has been sworn in as a lawyer after passing the State Bar of California exam.
The Tulare County district attorney’s office said that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam, having taken the test when he was 17.
The State Bar said it could not confirm that Mr Park is the youngest, but hailed his achievement.
Executive director Leah Wilson said: “Passing the California Bar exam is a major accomplishment at any age, and for someone as young as Mr Park, it is quite an extraordinary feat and one worth celebrating.”
Mr Park took the exam in July and received the results on November 9.
The teenager said in a statement: “It was not easy, but it was worth it.”
Mr Park began high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, California, in 2019 aged 13 and simultaneously began a four-year juris doctor programme at the Northwestern California University School of Law after completing college-level proficiency exams.
He graduated from high school in 2021 by taking the state’s high school proficiency exam and focused on law school, graduating this year.
The teenager became a law clerk for the district attorney’s office in August, turned 18 in late November and was sworn in as a lawyer on Tuesday.
