Admission is a rite of passage for every lawyer, but Liuzhuo Chen’s admission to the Supreme Court of Victoria last month was particularly significant. At just 19, Chen might be the youngest person ever to be admitted as a lawyer in Victoria.
After finishing high school at the age of 15, Chen completed her law degree at Bond University in only two and a half years. She completed her PLT at the Leo Cussen Centre for Law earlier this year.
Any attempts to establish for certain that Chen is Victoria’s youngest lawyer ever would involve extensive review of the state’s admission records, which stretch back 140 years. However, the Council of Legal Education & Board of Examiners and the Law Library of Victoria believe that Chen is one of the youngest, if not the youngest lawyer ever admitted in Victoria.
When asked about her admission at such a young age, Chen said, “it is definitely an honour and a privilege to become a legal practitioner. As for my age, I feel fortunate to have started school earlier than my peers. But from my perspective, it’s not exactly a great accomplishment. However, it feels good to have a head start.”
Elsewhere in the world, Gabrielle Turnquest became the youngest barrister in the UK in 600 years when she was called to the Bar in 2013, at the age of 18. Kathleen Holtz, California’s youngest ever lawyer, passed the bar exam in 2007 when she was also 18.
Picture: Liuzhuo Chen with Judith Dickson. Image courtesy of the Leo Cussen Centre for Law.
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