AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In 2001, I was clerking on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. And one night in November, I remember going online with a bunch of the other clerks, hearts pounding, to see if we had passed the California State Bar exam. And to my relief, I did, because I did not want to study for that dang test again. But, you know, if you think passing the California bar exam at age 25 is cool, try passing it at age 17. That's right. This November, Sophia Park became the youngest person to pass the California State Bar exam. She was 17 years and eight months old. And guess what? Before Sophia held the record, her brother Peter had it. Sophia beat him by three months. So how did this sibling duo accomplish this amazing feat? Well, we have Sophia and Peter Park here to tell us all about it. Hello, legal eagles.
PETER PARK: Hi.
SOPHIA PARK: Hello.
(LAUGHTER)
CHANG: OK, wait. First of all, aren't you supposed to still be in high school right now? Like, how are you taking the bar exam, which comes after law school, which comes after college, when you're 17 years old? Like, how old were you when you guys started studying law?
S PARK: Well, we were both 13 years old when we started law school.
CHANG: What (laughter)?
S PARK: And we got our high school diploma while we were attending law school. And our law school actually didn't require a college degree.
CHANG: Wow.
S PARK: Instead of a college degree, they allowed us to submit CLEP tests, which gave us college credits. And they accepted that in lieu of an undergraduate degree, which allowed us to pursue law school while we were still in grade school.
CHANG: I had no idea this was even possible. Can I just ask whose idea was it originally?
P PARK: It was originally my dad's idea. He was searching up ways to become an attorney himself. So he was doing some research, and he found that this 21-year-old passed the bar at the age of 21. That kind of got him interested in maybe my son could do it.
CHANG: And when he suggested the idea, Peter, were you like are you crazy? What was your initial reaction?
P PARK: My initial reaction was confusion, like, because I never knew or talked about, like, what an attorney does.
CHANG: (Laughter) And he's approaching you at age 13, right?
P PARK: Yes. Yeah, I was still going to eighth grade.
CHANG: Oh, my God. So how did he convince you to do it? What made you say OK, I'll sign up for this idea?
P PARK: Yeah, so he explained to me that if I start law school at 13, then I would become the youngest attorney in the history of California. And that idea intrigued me. Additionally, I didn't know what an attorney was. So I did some research, and I found out...
CHANG: (Laughter).
P PARK: Yeah, attorneys help people. They help society.
CHANG: Wait. Was this more about getting the record to be the youngest ever person to pass the California State Bar? Or was it to become a lawyer sooner rather than later?
P PARK: Our parents, I think they noticed that high school wasn't as challenging, so they proposed this.
CHANG: So you could stuff law school in there, too?
P PARK: Yes.
CHANG: What was it like? Like, OK, Sophia, tell me what a typical day was like when you were 14 years old. Because you're kind of simultaneously going through high school and law school at the same time, if I'm understanding this correctly, yeah?
S PARK: Yes. So I had it pretty easy when I was going to law school in the beginning because COVID hit and everything was online. So I would do online classes from 8 a.m. to, I believe, around 3:20 p.m. And then during the lunch break and, like, 10-minute breaks in between classes, I would be sneaking peeks at the outlines and doing practice questions, reading past exam essays. And then once school ended for the day, I would open up whatever subject I was studying for that day. And I would study for most of the evening.
CHANG: All right, so when you were studying for the actual bar exam, Peter, did you give Sophia any study tips? Or were you a little worried that she was going to beat your record?
P PARK: I wasn't worried that she would beat my record at all. I just kind of knew.
CHANG: Really? You didn't think she could do it?
P PARK: No, I knew she would do it.
CHANG: But you didn't mind her beating your record?
P PARK: Yeah, I didn't mind.
CHANG: (Laughter) OK, so did you help her study?
P PARK: Yeah, we did. So at our house, it's pretty unique. We have our rooms where we sleep in, and then we made our master bedroom into what's called our study room. And me, Sophia...
CHANG: It was like mission control.
P PARK: ...And our siblings.
CHANG: OK.
P PARK: We all study there together.
CHANG: Wow.
P PARK: It's like a little library that we made.
CHANG: Did that get so intense, or it was fun?
P PARK: It was fun. So if I'm confused on something or if my sister was confused on something, we could ask each other questions. And we'd study side by side. So if somebody is studying but the other person is not, they would sort of be motivated to study. And if my sister sees that I'm, like, slacking and just, like...
CHANG: (Laughter).
P PARK: ...Playing on my computer, then she would, like, tell me, like, hey, you should study.
S PARK: Oh, my God.
P PARK: And so there was, like, a synergy involved in that.
CHANG: Right, synergy - or what we call peer pressure there.
P PARK: Yeah.
CHANG: OK, let me ask you this. I hear that you have another sibling who could potentially beat Sophia's record. Is this correct?
S PARK: Yes. She is 14 right now. Her name is Sarah, and she's in her second year of law school currently.
CHANG: Oh, my God.
S PARK: And in three years, when she passes the bar exam, she will be one month younger than I was when I passed the bar exam.
CHANG: This is stunning. OK, are there any other siblings in the pipeline after Sarah?
P PARK: Yes. So we have Andrew, who is 8 years old right now. And he's going to his second year of elementary school.
CHANG: And is he talking about becoming a lawyer?
P PARK: Yes, he says he wants to be an attorney.
CHANG: (Laughter).
P PARK: And his teacher calls him my attorney, and he dresses up as an attorney on Halloween. Yeah, he's all for it.
CHANG: This is hilarious. I am just so in shock and in awe of your entire family. So Peter, you are currently a prosecutor at the Tulare County District Attorney's Office, right?
P PARK: Yes.
CHANG: I assume you're, like, the youngest prosecutor in the history of that county.
P PARK: In the history of this county, in the history of California.
CHANG: (Laughter) And Sophia, you plan on joining Peter, right, in the office?
S PARK: Yes.
CHANG: Let me ask you, when it comes to the criminal justice system, why does being on the prosecution side feel more desirable to you than being on the defense side?
S PARK: I thought about this question for a while, while I was in my first year of law school and in criminal law. I knew that's the field I wanted to go into. But I think the prosecution side appealed to me more because I like that I get to represent the community, keep them safe and be their voice.
CHANG: Peter, have you ever stared at a defendant in the eyes, and they're looking back at you thinking how is a teenager, or at least an 18-year-old, prosecuting me? Like, do people size you up? Do you ever get that feeling when you're in the courtroom?
P PARK: Most of the time, I don't look at the defendants. That's the job of the defense attorneys. Under the laws of California, I can't talk to them.
CHANG: You never steal glances across the courtroom?
P PARK: I wouldn't do that, yeah.
CHANG: (Laughter) OK. All right, you heard it here. Watch out. Do not commit any crimes in Tulare County, people. Sophia and Peter Park, thank you both so much. Congratulations, and good luck on your legal careers.
S PARK: Thank you.
P PARK: Thank you.
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