18-Year-Old Aces Calif. Bar, Wins 1st Trial

Careers

Posted Nov 19, 2007, 02:50 pm CST
By Martha Neil

An 18-year-old graduate of the UCLA School of Law is en route to become not only the youngest lawyer in the state but possibly the country.

Kathleen Holtz, who learned Friday that she passed the California bar, has already been part of a winning trial team, reports the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

An associate at TroyGould in Los Angeles, Holtz spent much of the last few weeks at Orange County Superior Court, along with two colleagues, successfully representing the plaintiff in a commercial litigation matter.

“It was my first trial and it was a fantastic experience,” she says. “It’s very rare for business disputes to go to trial and I was thrilled to experience that so early in my career.”

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Posted by www.lawdomains-us.com - 1 year, 1 month, 3 weeks, 15 hours, 8 minutes ago

Wow! .... wow.
Posted by Law Student in Madison - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes ago

Congratulations to Ms. Holtz! I hope she continues to enjoy her success for many years to come. Wow!
Posted by passed the bar at 27 - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 25 minutes ago

Dear Doogie Houser, J.D.,

I am sure you are too young to get the reference. Then again, I would imagine other haggard unoriginals like me have used that one before. Thanks for making us all feel like under achievers. At least I can buy beer. It’s delicious.

Yours truly,

Sour Grapes
Posted by what the? - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 16 minutes ago

How on earth did she get through the equivalent of 7 years of higher education by the time most kids have gotten through high school? Even if she did college in 2 years and law school in 2, when did she go to high school? Too bad she probably missed out on her entire childhood.
Posted by Andrew - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes ago

Dear SG,

Passed the bar at 27? Hell, I started law school at 27 and turned 28 in September. When I was 18, I was in a punk rock band with absolutely no intention of going back to school.

Very impressive, Ms. Holtz. Congrats. Best of luck in the future (though I doubt you’ll need it).

ABD
Posted by studentforever - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 7 minutes ago

Let the kid have fun! She can always take a break from work to live later! Nothing wrong with doing things in reverse.

Congrats darling and hope you always enjoy what you are doing. That’s the most important thing in the world.
Posted by NYC law grad - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 1 minute ago

Wow is right. Still, to finish college/university at 15 and law school at 18? Taking the LSAT at 14 or 15? Those are important years & I don’t see the need to ‘rush it.’ Then again, people used to go to the university about that age (e.g. Thomas More, Chancellor of England under Henry VIII, went to Christ Church (formerly Canterbury Hall), Oxford at 15).

That aside, youth is an irreplaceable time. What you do with it is your own choice. And, hopefully, she was able to have a great childhood and adolescence. Kudos to her but I would never have chosen that route. I started college at 17 and I thought that was pushing it!
Posted by Suzanne - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours ago

Wow…I read about Ms. Holtz and she skipped HS completely in order to take college courses. It’s a great achievement, but I must say, I wouldn’t have traded my HS years for nothing! Hopefully she won’t burn out by 25!
Posted by todd - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 42 minutes ago

When I was 18 I was trolling the dorms for coeds. I wouldn’t trade that “fantastic experience” for any day in a court. Why waste your precious youth in a court room? There will be plently of years of that drama to look forward to. Youth is just too precious to be spent nose to a grindstone.
Posted by DC Law Student - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 36 minutes ago

She’s going to wake up one day in her mid-40’s and regret that she missed her entire youthful life. The best days of my life were when I was a young, liberated, and independent college student experiencing the worldwith ppl MY OWN AGE.

I would never trade those years for anything!
Posted by Joe Sixpack - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes ago

Honestly, I feel kinda sorry for this girl. I will be interesting to if she can keep her head on straight and not try to be 21 when she is 38.
Posted by Jonathan Edwards - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 28 minutes ago

a child that smart probably would not have had a very good high school ‘career’ as she would have been seen as a nerd and scorned by many. Her peers need not be her age, I have known many homeschoolers who end up in college quite early because they had a better learning experience at home, and they are well able to handle adulthood because their primary associations were with adults. The problem is not hers, it is ours. While I grew up without TV, most now in law school are TV and internet junkies, and I have met many who I suspect probably do not fit well with society. I know that I would not hire many of my classmates, were I a hiring partner. A young person of ability, that is a different story.
Posted by David - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 25 minutes ago

If you look at her TroyGould bio, you’ll see she is in the federalist society! Not only is she precocious, she also knows the one correct interpretation of the Constitution.
Posted by Nicole - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes ago

Wow… and I was proud of myself for graduating law school the month after I turned 24.

Congrats to her!!! Hopefully she won’t be burned out by the time she’s 30!
Posted by Andrew Sussman - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 20 minutes ago

Since she’s in civil litigation, the real question is whether she’ll hit the burnout wall before she’s old enough to vote.
Posted by Doug Jensen - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 20 minutes ago

We done Ms. Holtz, you are going t have a very long career as an attorney…have no illusion about the practice of law…make a good living…Invest it…buy a boat and go fishing.
Posted by JohnEOla - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 20 minutes ago

Wasn’t Thomas More decapitated? Never mind. This is kind of like watching Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Impossible for mere mortals to fathom. If I could, I’d take out a futures option on this young woman’s career!!
Posted by Brad - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 11 minutes ago

Enjoy a nice Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers for the win!
Posted by Sam McVey - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 5 minutes ago

Congratulations on an impressive show of self-discipline. Then again, John Stuart Mill never went to school.
Posted by Must Be Nice! - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 47 minutes ago

This story just made my day! I feel so good about myself now!
:-)
Posted by Brian Sanders - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 40 minutes ago

Enough of the self-comparisons and sour grapes…rock on, Kathleen!
Posted by Willem DeDonis - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 38 minutes ago

Hello, will you marry me? I need a hard working freulein to support me. I am fat and a bit lazy, but not stupid. I see a good catch here.
Posted by Ittriss Jenkins - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 32 minutes ago

This is a great thing!!!!! I wish her all the blessings that life has to offer. Keep up the good work
Posted by Allan Huss - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 32 minutes ago

Right on, Kathleen! It is apparent that you have a focus and drive that will serve you and your clients well. And to those who comment on missing high school—I disliked most of my high school experience; cheerfully went to college at 16; and law school at 20. After 34 years of practice, I regret none of these decisions.
Posted by C - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours, 30 minutes ago

Kathleen (and I) went through the Early Entrance Program at Cal State LA. http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/eep. It is a great opportunity for kids who are frankly too nerdy and socially outcast to get through regular high school without being teased to death and becoming suicidal, and most of the program’s graduates have turned out just fine, obviously Kathleen Holtz included.
Posted by H - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes ago

Wow, I thought I was a pretty young attorney starting out at 23, but she’s got me beat for sure.
Posted by ML - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 19 hours, 40 minutes ago

This is such an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations!!!
Posted by x - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 19 hours, 31 minutes ago

And I thoroughly enjoyed the comments! Even better than the article, though of course huge congrats to Ms. Holtz. But I agree with the majority that you cannot just skip youth, that craving catches up with you sooner or later.
Posted by Donna S. - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes ago

Very well done! Hope to take time out to enjoy your accomplishments - a nice post-bar trip with some friends.
Posted by Catherine - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 18 hours, 54 minutes ago

Congratulations to this young and bright woman! I hope she has a brilliant career. At her age she’ll have plenty of time to try something else if she “burn’s out” at what the rest of us would consider a young age. I’m curious, though, about how she got admitted to the bar before age 21. Most of the staes here in the northeast require attainment of age 21 along with passing the exam to be admitted…must be that CA youth culture.
Posted by WoW! - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 18 hours, 42 minutes ago

Damn girl! You do it to it!
Posted by Erica - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 18 hours, 40 minutes ago

She will enjoy a delayed youth after earning tons of money—also known as “early retirement.” Good thing too- considering social security will not be available to her!
Posted by Acbar - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 18 hours, 25 minutes ago

Here is what her law firm (TroyGould) bio says: “Activities: During her third year of law school, Ms. Holtz served as an extern for the Honorable Stephen V. Wilson on the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. She also served as an Articles Editor on the UCLA Law Review, and as President of the UCLA Federalist Society. Education: University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (J.D., 2007); California State University, Los Angeles (B.A., Philosophy, magna cum laude, 2003).”
So, she took four years after college, not three, to get that JD, so graduated from college at age 14 - magna cum laude no less! Plus law review and a clerkship while in law school. Again, wow!
Posted by Unstructured Finance - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 17 hours, 54 minutes ago

The good news is that she can burn out sooner, and get on with the rest of her life while she still has some good years left!
Posted by Craig - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 17 hours, 31 minutes ago

What a nerd. Get a life. Serously. The college years are the best and she missed them. She’s not even old enough to drink and already stuck in the drudgery that is being a civil litigator. This type of behavior should not be encouraged.
Posted by Hatin' on Holtz - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 16 hours, 57 minutes ago

Never mind her age; how did she get a trial in her first year? I bet there are a lot of angry associates and junior partners at the firm who have never had even a 3d chair trial experience. Did the firm exploit her singularity and use her as a distraction?
Posted by Ed Brewer - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 15 hours, 52 minutes ago

Boy, what a mess of negative attitudes and sour grapes in the preceding posts! Ms. Holtz, the mental health professional might say that with your rare combination of age, experience, and still-forming neural circuits, you might be able to set an example for all of us about how to live as a lawyer. Most of us, myself included, get to law school and then practice at much later ages, and are badly damaged as people by our experiences. I hope you have avoided that so far and, if you have, that you will help the rest of us. Thank you in advance.
Posted by Ms. Flint - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 15 hours, 23 minutes ago

I’m impressed! I graduated high school in only 2 years at the age of 16; but I have never known of anyone who has altogether skipped high school. I have just graduated from law school this year, and I know what it is like to be younger than the typical law school graduate.
Good luck Ms. Holtz!!
Posted by Apachelino - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 14 hours, 33 minutes ago

She didn’t miss her youth, she just spent it in law school and now as a lawyer. If she wants to go back to school or spend a couple of years carousing, she can do it in her twenties or thirties. And I’m sure she will admit that at her level of intellectual geekiness, high school would not have been much fun.
Posted by Mr. Rabinowitz - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 14 hours, 7 minutes ago

Responding to some of the earlier posts, I assume that Ms. Holtz willingly took the path that she did and that she was not forced into it by her parents or by others. That being the case, it was an individual choice. Lawyers, almost by definition, ascertain what strategies are available, as well as the benefits and risks of each. If Ms. Holtz already has the skills, strengths, and character to become a lawyer at such an early age, it follows that she already has her personal values well under control.

With that, I concur with Apachelino. Evidently she evaluated high school as an educational path, and found it wanting. Given the state of some of the public schools in our country, I cannot say this is unreasonable.
Posted by Engineer/Attorney/Investor/ Entrepreneur - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 12 hours, 14 minutes ago

For most people, life is what happens to them while waiting on or for something else. If Kathleen has enjoyed her life up to now, that’s the most she could hope for. If she continues to enjoy what she’s doing, that’s great. The one precious commodity in life is time. If you spend it doing one thing, it is not available to do something else; so make sure it is well spent. If she has no complaints, then the rest of us are in no position to second guess.

My prediction - She will not remain a lawyer forever. Someone with her obvious abilities will be seeking new and different challenges at some point. Just because she has missed out on some things that she might have done in the past does not mean that she has been deprived; in today’s politically correct vernacular, she has just been “differently enabled.”

I do not know of anyone who has followed my life-path, but I do not consider that either a positive or a negative; it just is.

To Kathleen, I would say “If you are happy with the way things are going, keep going along that path; if you feel that some other course may be the better avenue to pursue, go for it!” Life is a blessing, but time is the most precious commodity. If, 70 years from now, you can look back and say “What a grand adventure!”, then little else matters.
Posted by Tina - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 9 hours, 50 minutes ago

I’m surprised at all the comments that refer to 18 year olds and the age most people attend college at as “childhood” and that Ms. Holtz somehow missed her childhood be pursuing a different educational path during her teenage years. I worked at a university before becoming a lawyer and the trend we saw at the U was parents wanting to (and some actually did) make decisions for their college age “children”. I remember when the rationale was that if one is old enough to sacrifice one’s life for our country, then the rights of adulthood (voting & consuming alcohol) should be granted. How can one miss what one has never experienced? While I don’t support parents who exert undue pressure on their children to study and memorize and participate in scheduled activities to the detriment of having time to just be oneself and develop creative thinking and imaginative play, I do support allowing capable young people to be independent and follow their interests. Kudos to you Ms. Holtz for follow your own path and the success that has brought you.
Posted by Ms. Carrie M. Bradley - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 7 hours, 38 minutes ago

Congratulations! I look up to you, even though I am a 30 year old woman. I am in awe of the initiative that you took in your successful achievements. Keep up the good work!
Posted by Friendly - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 3 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes ago

I’d say those two colleagues are probably her only “friends” because she probably never made time to develop relationship.

On the otherhand, impressive nonetheless
Posted by LawedUp - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 3 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes ago

Whatever. I am a 14 year old attorney in Kazakhastan!
Posted by carmel - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 2 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes ago

Great accomplishment. Some of the blog comments are worth a skim. I think.

Love,
Carmel
Posted by Nuriel - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 2 days, 19 hours, 41 minutes ago

Someone mentioned that Thomas More graduated at 15 from Oxford. I can’t help but notice that More was beheaded by Queen Anne. Maybe not the best example to follow. She has the opportunity right now to make some money and then travel the world. When she gets back, she’ll still have a shot at the supreme court.
Posted by Joyce Krutick Craig - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 2 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes ago

Wow! Impressive I was 23 when I graduated law school and was admitted to the NY bar and in those days it was considered amazing. Go Girl! You’ve got good things in store for you!!!
Posted by Michelle - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 2 days, 11 hours, 48 minutes ago

Just a correction. Sir Thomas More sacrificed his life for his convictions so he is an EXCELLENT example to follow, especially now when people are afraid to stand for their beliefs. More was a lawyer who rose to the rank of Lord Chancellor under Henry VIII. He was executed because he did not agree with one of the king’s commands. One of the most intelligent men of his day (he was incredibly witty, learned, and a loyal friend), he bravely stood for his convictions even though they led to the scaffold.

Hope our new generations of lawyers are the same: not only bright, but courageous.
Posted by Life Experience - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 day, 10 hours, 43 minutes ago

Just think, if she had opted for the “California Bar” alternative she could have finished 2 years of college by age 12, gone to a “California Accredited” law school and been admitted to the California Bar by age 14? Boggles the mind.
As for me, I can’t imagine ever hiring a lawyer who is more than a few years younger than myself (and I’m closing in on 40). I’m looking for technical expertise (which this young phenom may obtain soon enough), but also some things I doubt she’ll ever have: strong common strong sense, people skills, and a broad scope of experience. Maybe I’m demonstrating my age-ist prejudice, but I just can’t imagine someone with such an extraordinary childhood developing normal people skills, or being able to read and understand and relate to witnesses, jurors, other lawyers, normal people….
Posted by Jessica - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 19 hours, 17 minutes ago

I spent 1.5 years in high school. I’m in my late twenties and I’m not missing those 2.5 years yet. Smart kids regularly have a rotten time in high school. I was happy to leave and start college at 15. Good for Ms. Holtz, using her apparently considerable intelligence to contribute to the legal profession. It is possible to meet people and have a good time AFTER high school and college, so what precisely has she given up? Hanging out at the mall and going to keggers? If she’s missing out on prom, I’m sure her law school had a Barrister’s Ball.
Posted by D. - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 18 hours, 32 minutes ago

Betcha you cannot do med school @ night and become an MD by age 21.
Posted by ezlife - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 18 hours, 26 minutes ago

Not every genius is regarded as a nerd in high school, and not every prodigy who skips high school lives to regret the decision. There are many paths to happiness. I have a niece who was a musical prodigy, skipped most of high school, pursued her education in music, married a physics professor from a prestigious university who was twice her age, and is extremely happy. She always felt more comfortable in an older crowd. Congratulations to Ms. Holtz, and be happy.
Posted by Aut Price - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 18 hours, 18 minutes ago

In order to encourage my daughter to study harder, I use to ask the question: What do you call a 30 year old nerd? The answer is “boss.” I may have to reduce the age.
Posted by Ron Mexico - 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 17 hours, 35 minutes ago

That poor girl..so young…..the little tike never had a chance. Well at least she’ll only be 21 when she realizes her career choice was a mistake.
Posted by Lucreita D. Becude, Esq. - 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, 6 days, 23 hours, 15 minutes ago

I think you made a great choice in careers. Any field of law is a wonderful endeavor and is truly rewarding. One of the greatest achievements you will experience is the camaraderie among attorneys. Congrats, I know your parents are proud of you as I and many other attorneys. I look forward to hearing wonderful things about you in the future.

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