A teenager from California’s Central Valley has become the youngest person to ever pass the state’s bar exam and is now working as a practicing attorney.
The Tulare county district attorney’s office announced this week that Peter Park learned last month at 17 that he had passed the “rigorous exam” on his first attempt in what officials described as a “legal history making moment”. Park has been a law clerk with the office since August after completing law school.
The teen started high school in 2019 at age 13 and at the same time enrolled in a four-year law program at Northwestern California University School of Law. He was able to enroll due to a state bar rule allowing students to apply to law school after completing the College Level Proficiency Exams.
Park completed his high school studies in 2021 and then focused on law school and graduated in 2023, the DA’s office said. He took the bar exam in July and then went to work for the district attorney’s office.
Career speedrunning? Kid’s probably going to be burned out by 30.
He will probably become partner by 30.
Because of his skills? Probably not; he didn’t graduate from a T6, didn’t have a bachelor from an ivy league, didn’t intern at a V10. Maybe his parents have connections, idk, but without connections it’s hard for him to “make it”.
But it doesn’t really matter for any law firm. Just being able to say “youngest partner in the history of the firm/US” is a good enough marketing tactic, especially to recruit younger associates with the hope that they, too, can “make it” while still young.
In his 30s, he will be able to work with other “genius” clients with a background in tech, biotech, finance, etc. people who successfully built billion-$ startups by their 30s. If we think about it, no law firm would pair a 65-yo partner with Mark (for any reason he would need a law firm) when Facebook just IPO’d. He would be the perfect person for that, especially with the whole “genius kid from SoCal” label he will be able to carry around.
So whichever law firm that hires him have an interest in retaining him (and avoid burning him out like they’d do for the average associate that didn’t go to HYSCCN).
That all sounds perfectly plausible.
So instead he’ll just drink and drug himself to death like the rest of us.
This guy firms.
People don’t realize that being a great attorney is knowing a wealth of historical precedent by memory and that only comes with time and experience. Not to downplay his accomplishments but he simply knows the rules of the game. If he fully immerses himself in it from here on out, he will have the best head start in history (afaik). He must be very excited.
might as well get enough retire early and live your life while you still have energy
Well, better than being burned out by 50. At least you get your midlife crisis out of the way early while you’re still young!
This is sad.
