Tulare's Sophia Park, Who Started Law School at 13, Breaks Brother’s California Bar Record

By Anthony W. Haddad

Published 7 months ago on

November 13, 2024

Peter Park (left), who was previously the youngest to pass the California bar, is now surpassed by his sister, Sophia Park (center), who holds the new record. Fortunately for Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, both are part of his office. (Tulare County DA)

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In a historic moment for Tulare County, 17-year-old Sophia Park has broken her brother Peter’s record to become the youngest person to pass the California bar exam.

Sophia, a law clerk at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, passed the exam on Friday, at 17 years and 8 months old, surpassing Peter, who was 17 years and 11 months old when he passed in 2023, the Tulare County DA’s Office announced in a news release.

“Sophia’s amazing accomplishments speak for themselves, and we could not be prouder as an office family,” said Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward. “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.”

Sophia’s journey to passing the bar is nothing short of impressive. She started law school at 13 in 2020 while attending junior high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, California.

By 2022, she had graduated high school after passing the California High School Proficiency Exam and graduated from Northwestern California University School of Law in 2024.

Like her brother, Sophia took advantage of a state bar rule allowing students to apply to law school through College Level Proficiency Exams.

At 16, she gained hands-on experience as a summer intern at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Since 2024, she has worked as a law clerk at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office and is set to become a licensed attorney in March 2025 upon turning 18.

Sophia plans to join the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor, following in her brother’s footsteps.

“As a prosecutor, I will work to see justice served and ensure that victims’ voices are heard,” Sophia said.

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Anthony W. Haddad,

Multimedia Journalist

Anthony W. Haddad, who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with his undergraduate degree and attended Fresno State for a MBA, is the Swiss Army knife of GV Wire. He writes stories, manages social media, and represents the organization on the ground.