Editor-DN
A 17-year-old has made history by passing the California state bar exam and becoming a practicing attorney in the state. Sophia Park’s achievement broke the record previously held by her older brother Peter Park by three months.
On November 8, 2024, Ms. Park learned that she passed the bar exam of more than 8,000 candidates in July. She was 17 years and 8 months old when she sat the exam, beating her 17-year-old and 11-month-old brother. “I am very happy and excited,” she said in a YouTube video uploaded by the family.
According to one The New York Times The California State Bar Exam is known for its rigorous standards, with just under 54 percent of candidates attempting the exam in July, according to the report.
Ms. Park’s success was also announced by her employer, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office. “Sophia’s amazing accomplishments speak for themselves, and we as an office family could not be more proud of her,” said Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward.
Sophia Park completed high school, college and law school in an accelerated timeline of nearly four years, through state-of-the-art online courses. Starting law school in 2020 at the age of 13, Ms. Park furthered her studies while attending junior high at Oxford Academy in Cypress, California. By 2022, he completed high school, passing the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE). In 2024, he received his law degree from Northwestern California University School of Law.
According to the NYT report, Ms. Park, like her brother, used a provision of California law that allows students to pass college-level proficiency exams (CLEPs), bypassing traditional undergraduate requirements for law school. I was allowed to enter.
At age 16, Ms. Park gained practical experience through a summer internship with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Since 2024, he has worked as a law clerk in the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.
Ms. Park will begin practicing as an attorney in March 2025, when she turns 18 and is sworn in as a licensed attorney. She plans to follow in her brother’s footsteps and join the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor.
“As a prosecutor, I will work to ensure that justice is served and that victims’ voices are heard,” she said.
