Peter Park has been a law clerk with the office since August.
An 18-year-old from California who passed the state’s bar exam when he was only 17 is now working as a practising attorney. The Tulare County District Attorney’s office announced Peter Park’s record-breaking achievement in a Facebook post, saying that it was a “legal history-making moment”. Notably, Mr Park passed the state’s bar exam on his first attempt when he was 17, beating the previous record held by an 18-year-old. He has been a law clerk with the office since August after completing law school.
“In a legal history making moment, Tulare County District Attorney law clerk Peter Park passed the rigorous California bar exam on his first attempt making him the youngest person to ever pass the exam at age 17. According to research, the previous record holder was 18 years old. Park received his test results on November 9 after taking the exam in July,” the Facebook post read.
According to the caption of the post, Mr Park started high school in 2019 at age 13 and at the same time enrolled in a four-year law program at Northwestern California University School of Law. He was able to enrol due to a state bar rule allowing students to apply to law school after completing the College Level Proficiency Exams.
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Mr Park completed high school in 2021 and graduated from law school in 2023, as per the post. He then passed the state’s bar exam on his first attempt when he was 17 and then went to work for the district attorney’s office.
“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,” Mr Park said.
“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,” he added.
According to The Guardian, Peter Park was officially sworn in as a practising attorney last week. With this, he has become one of the state’s youngest practising attorneys.