17-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Person to Pass California Bar Exam

Sophia Park, 17, is now the youngest to pass the California bar and will join Tulare County’s DA office, where she’s been a law clerk.

Sophia Park graduated from Northwestern California University School of Law, starting her legal education at 13.
Park will work as a prosecutor with the Tulare County district attorney’s office upon being sworn in at 18.

Sophia Park made history on November 8 by passing the California bar exam at just 17 years and 8 months old, according to an ABA Journal report.

Her accomplishment surpasses the record set by her brother, Peter Park, who passed the bar at 17 years and 11 months in 2023.

The Park siblings are trailblazers in California’s legal community. Both are set to work for the Tulare County district attorney’s office, with Sophia joining her brother as a prosecutor after she is sworn in next year.

Their 14-year-old sister is already in her second year of law school, and their 8-year-old brother aspires to follow in their footsteps.

Early Start in Law

Sophia’s legal journey began with a sixth-grade career survey that suggested she consider law. At 13, she enrolled in the Northwestern California University School of Law, an online institution accredited by the State Bar of California.

Balancing law school with high school proved challenging. During her freshman year, Sophia decided to take and pass the California High School Proficiency Exam, allowing her to focus entirely on her legal studies.

By 16, Sophia was gaining hands-on experience, interning at the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
She also worked as a law clerk for the Tulare County district attorney’s office, where she will continue her career.

The Path to the Bar

Passing the bar exam at any age is a formidable task, said Leah Wilson, executive director of the State Bar of California, who described Sophia’s achievement as “remarkable” and “exceptional.”

Sophia herself reflected on the challenge, saying the difficulty lay in the sheer volume of material to master in a short time. Despite this, she excelled and is now poised to become one of the youngest licensed attorneys in the U.S.

What’s Next

Sophia is passionate about pursuing justice. She plans to dedicate her career to prosecution, telling the Sun-Gazette: “I like the idea that I get to represent the people of the state of California, keep our community safe, and make sure that justice is served.”