8 Youngest People to Become Lawyers in History

In most countries, the minimum age to pass the practicing exam and become a practicing lawyer is 21. Even if not for the minimum age requirement, it usually takes many years for a person to become an eligible lawyer. However, some extraordinary people achieve this feat much earlier than the average globally.

Listed here are the top eight youngest lawyers who became eligible for practicing law before they were even of legal drinking age! Most of these young lawyers are under the age of 20, which is astonishing because most people don’t even graduate from college at such a young age.

8. Kelly Yang

photo source: thecrimson.com

Kelly Yang, one of the youngest lawyers worldwide, takes the eighth spot on our list for graduating from law school at the age of 20.

Kelly was only thirteen when she went to college before moving to law school at the ripe age of 17. While most people become lawyers after the age of 21, no restrictions could stop Kelly Yang from becoming one of the youngest graduates of Harvard University.

Unlike other mentions in this list, Kelly did not pursue law as a full-time career even after graduating at such a young age. Instead, she is now a full-time columnist for South China Morning Post, and a celebrated author.

Did You Know?

Kelly Yang left law to become a full-time columnist and author because she felt the law was too boring. She also mentioned that she wanted to influence the younger generation with her words.

7. Kiwi Camara

photo source: yourstory.com

Another young lawyer who defied the odds and became eligible to practice law at a very young age, Kiwi Camara, grabs the seventh spot on our list.

Kiwi Camara, a Filipino-American lawyer, graduated from law school at the age of 19. After graduating at an early age, Camara collected loads of experience working in multiple positions. He served as a clerk in the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Tenth Circuit under Judge Harris Hartz.

Aside from practicing law in the United States, Camara also has a degree in Computer Sciences. It seems that brilliance runs in his family, as his grandfather, a renowned cardiologist, was the first Summa Cum Laude graduate at the University Of Philippines College Of Medicine.

Did You Know?

While Kiwi Camara is mostly known for his hunger for prosperity, he has occasionally made headlines due to controversies. Most notably, Kiwi Camara was involved in a scandal involving racial slurs, for which he made a public apology.

6. Seth Harding

photo source: southernliving.com

Seth Harding graduated from law school at the age of 19, and became one of the youngest lawyers in the United States and the world.

Seth graduated from The University of Alabama School of Law in 2020 at the age of 19. He appeared for his bar exam soon after and passed, becoming the youngest person to be eligible to practice law in the state of Alabama in the past 100 years!

But Seth’s achievements are hardly surprising, considering the fact that he graduated high school at the age of 10 and was college-ready by the time he was 12. Seth graduated from Huntingdon when he was 16, and pursued his interest in law soon after. He is currently employed at the Beasley Allen Law Firm as an attorney.

Did You Know?

While still in college, Seth flourished and gained experience in multiple positions. Before graduating from law school, he was a law clerk for some plaintiff firms, private attorney offices, and the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office.

5. Danya Hamad

photo source: cuchimes.com

Danya Hamad, a 19-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, recently graduated with a J.D. from Capitol University.

Ever since she was a child, Danya dreamt of becoming the youngest practicing lawyer in America. While she may not be the youngest practicing lawyer at this moment, she is well on her way to passing the bar exam at a young age, and possibly becoming the youngest practicing lawyer in the United States.

Danya says that she wants to become an international human rights attorney, and bring social justice to people in need rather than working at a law firm.

Did You Know?

While receiving your J.D. at the age of 19 is a monumental achievement, Danya has a few other spectacular accomplishments up her sleeve. Notably, she graduated with an Associate’s degree from Columbus State before even finishing high school!

4. Liuzhuo “Aletta” Chen

photo source: belawyers.com

The fourth youngest lawyer in the world also graduated from law school and was admitted to the legal system at the age of 19.

Liuzhuo Aletta Chen completed her high school journey in China before moving to Australia to pursue a college education. At the age of 16, Chen moved to Australia and enrolled at Bond University in Queensland. She then completed a diploma from Leo Cussen to finally be admitted into the Australian legal system at the age of just 19.

Chen currently works at Bardo Lawyers, a law firm in Melbourne, Australia, and deals with immigration cases. She specializes in visa cancellation and refusal.

Did You Know?

Chen was always motivated to bring social justice through her legal practice. This is the reason why she specialized in Migration and Administrative Law of Australia.

3. Jozef Maynard Erece

photo source: goodreads.com

Jozef Maynard Erece is the third youngest lawyer in the world, having graduated from law school and being admitted to the legal system at the age of 18.

While Jozef might not be the youngest lawyer in the world, he is certainly the youngest in the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. However, being the youngest lawyer in three countries (and possibly more) isn’t his only achievement.

Jozef was a child prodigy. He started talking at the age of 8 months. By the age of 8, Jozef was already a published author. He graduated high school at a young age, and completed his college education in 2015. In the same year, he received a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, and was quickly admitted to the roll of barristers and solicitors by Queensland’s Supreme Court.

Did You Know?

Jozef turned down the opportunity to enroll in one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Stanford University, when he was just 11. He ultimately decided to stay in school.

2. Gabrielle Turnquest

photo source: womenyoushouldknow.net

Gabrielle Turnquest is the second youngest lawyer in the world and the youngest lawyer in the U.K. in over 600 years.

Gabrielle owes much of her early childhood success to her mother, who was also a lawyer. Her mother concluded that traditional education could not prepare her children to become exemplary at a very young age. Therefore, she established her own school in an office building to train her children.

When Gabrielle returned to Florida from Barbados after being homeschooled by her mother, she was already ahead of her peers by a margin of at least 2 years. Gabrielle started her college journey at Liberty University in Virginia when she was just 16. She finished her graduate diploma in law at the age of 17, and passed the Bar exam the following year.

Did You Know?

After becoming eligible to practice law, Gabrielle indulged her interest in the fashion industry. She applied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. to learn about Apparel Industry Management.

1. Stephen A. Baccus

photo source: kosmospublishers.com

Stephen A. Baccus is the youngest lawyer in the world. He graduated from law school at the age of 16, in 1986 and became the youngest person ever to graduate from an American Law School.

Baccus started high school at the age of 9, went to college when he was 12, completed his Bachelor’s at the age of 14, and decided to become a lawyer afterwards.

Becoming the youngest lawyer at the time was not enough to satisfy his quest for progress, which is why Baccus pursued a second graduate degree – a Master’s in Computer Science – while co-authoring a legal tome.

Did You Know?

Stephen A. Baccus wanted to speed-run through the academic steps in his early life. This is the reason why he skipped high school grades 5^th to 8^th, and jumped straight from 4^th grade to 9^th.