Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward swears in Peter Park this week in Visalia. Tulare County DA photo

Peter Park, previously a law clerk in the Tulare County District Attorney’s office, just made legal history by becoming the youngest person to pass the California Bar Exam.

The 17-year-old received his test results on Nov. 9 after taking the exam in July, passing on his first attempt.

The previous record holder was 18, according to research by the Tulare County DA’s office.

Park began high school at age 13, attending Oxford Academy in the Orange County town of Cypress while simultaneously enrolling in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law based in Sacramento, which offers a Bar-accredited online program.

 

This was made possible by a state bar rule allowing students to apply to law school with the completion of a College Level Examination Program.

Park graduated high school in 2021 and began focusing on law school. He earned his juris doctor degree and became a law clerk with the Tulare County DA’s office in August.

“It was not easy, but it was worth it. It required discipline and strategy to pass the Bar, and I made it in the end. I am extremely blessed to have discovered this path, and my hope is that more people will realize that alternative paths exist to becoming an attorney,” Park said. “I aspire to become a prosecutor because I am driven by a moral obligation to uphold liberty, equality, and justice in society. I admire how prosecutors keep our community safe and bring closure to victims.”

Park turned 18 in late November and was sworn in Tuesday in Visalia as a deputy district attorney and one of California’s youngest law practitioners. Like with many new prosecutors, he will handle a wide variety of misdemeanor cases. 

With salary and benefits, he will earn about $107,000 annually in his new position.