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U.S. Teenager Is Youngest Ever To Pass Britain's Bar Exams

At 18 years old, American Gabrielle Turnquest has become the youngest person to pass Britain's Bar exams, qualifying her as a barrister. Turnquest is a native of Windermere, Fla. She studied for the exams at Britain's University of Law.

From London, NPR's Larry Miller reports for our Newscast unit:

"The average age to gain a barrister's qualification is 27. Turnquest says she's honored to be the youngest person to become a British barrister. Due to her parent's heritage, she is also called to the Bahamas bar.

"Turnquest graduated from Liberty University in Virginia at aged 16. That school's youngest-ever graduate, Turnquest says she'll return to America in the fall to sit for the U.S. multistate bar exam. Her objective is to specialize in fashion industry law. Also becoming a barrister is her sister Kandi. She's 22."

"I was not aware at the time what the average age was," Turnquest tells Britain's The Telegraph, discussing her new place in the history of Britain's 600-year-old legal system. "I didn't fully realize the impact of it."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.