Teen Breaks Brother's Bar Exam Record

A California teen is believed to be the state's youngest person ever to pass its bar exam—and the person whose record she just beat is her own brother. According to the Tulare County District Attorney's Office, Sophia Park was just 17 years, 8 months when she passed the bar on Nov. 8, while her brother, Peter Park, was a slightly more mature 17 years, 11 months when he passed the same two-day exam in 2023, reports KAKE. The New York Times, which calls the state's bar "among the most difficult" in the nation, notes that just over half of the 8,300 or so hopefuls who took it this past July passed it.

• Sophia's journey: The Tulare DA's office notes that Sophia started law school at age 13, in 2020, at the same time she was attending middle school in Cypress, California. "Seeing my brother start law school at an early age, it was natural for me to start at a young age," she tells the Times. She graduated high school two years ago by passing state proficiency exams, then graduated from Northwestern California University School of Law earlier this year. As her brother did before her, Sophia "utilized a state bar rule that allows students to apply to law school through the completion of College Level Proficiency Exams," or CLEPs, per the DA's office.

• What's next: Sophia—who also has a bachelor's degree in educational studies in elementary education from the online Western Governors University and is currently a law clerk with the Tulare DA's office—will join her employer, where her brother also works, as a full-fledged attorney when she turns 18 in March. "As a prosecutor, I will work to see justice served and ensure that victims' voices are heard," she said, per the DA office's release.
• Praise from dad: The siblings' father tells Good Morning America that becoming a lawyer was "always part of her path," per ABC News. "It's the result of four years of consistent, dedicated work," says Byungjoo Park. "It didn't happen overnight."
• Praise from her employer: Tulare County DA Tim Ward also applauds the siblings. "Sophia's amazing accomplishments speak for themselves, and we could not be prouder as an office family," he says in a statement. "It really is quite remarkable the success we have had with our law students, interns, and law clerks attaining their professional dreams. The dividends for our office have been immense, and we are excited to be part of Sophia and Peter's continued success."

(More bar exam stories.)