California teen beats own brother to become youngest bar passer

Sophia Park, a 17-year-old from Visalia, a city in San Joaquin Valley about three hours away from Los Angeles, has made history as the youngest person to pass the California bar exam. Almost as remarkable is the fact that Park broke the record previously held by her own brother.

Peter Park achieved the milestone in 2023 at 17 years and 11 months old, becoming the youngest to pass the exam at the time. Sophia surpassed his record by passing the bar at just 17 years and 8 months, with both siblings accomplishing the feat on their first attempt.

Reflecting on her achievement in an interview with Fox40, Sophia admitted, “I don’t think it was extremely difficult, but I do think there was difficulty in how much you had to put into your brain in a limited period of time.”

Sophia’s legal journey began at the age of 13, when she started law school while still attending junior high. She currently works as a law clerk at the district attorney's office, though she's due for a promotion after her accomplishment.

Despite breaking the record, however, Sophia can’t officially take on the role of Deputy District Attorney for Tulare County just yet — she’ll have to wait until she turns 18 to be sworn in.

“We’re so excited for her, for her brother, and really the family — it’s quite remarkable,” said Tulare County DA Tim Ward. Surely Sophia will be worth the wait!