Californian passes state bar exam at age 17 and is sworn in as an attorney

VISALIA, California — A county attorney says one of the clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17.

The Tulare County Prosecutor's Office said this week that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam.

The State Bar said in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that it could not confirm whether Park is the youngest, but applauded his achievement.

“Passing the California Bar exam is a major achievement at any age, and for someone as young as Mr. Park, it is an extraordinary achievement worth celebrating,” said Executive Director Leah Wilson.

Park took the exam in July and received the test results on Nov. 9, according to a news release from the district attorney's office this week.

“It wasn't easy, but it was worth it,” Park said in a statement.

Park began high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, California, in 2019 at age 13 and simultaneously entered a four-year Juris Doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law after completing college-level proficiency exams, it said office.

Park graduated from high school in 2021 by taking the state proficiency exam and focused on law school, from which he graduated this year. He became a clerk at the Public Prosecution Service in August, turned 18 at the end of November and was sworn in as a lawyer on Tuesday.