At an age when most teenagers are preparing for high school final exams or applying to undergraduate programs, 18-year-old James “Jimmy” Chilimigras has graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, native graduated with highest honours, finishing in the top two percent of his class and earning the highest grade in more than 40 percent of his courses. University officials believe Chilimigras may be the youngest person ever to graduate from a law school in Louisiana, a state that joined the United States in 1812.
According to a statement from Loyola University New Orleans, Chilimigras completed his degree with five certificates of concentration: taxation law, social justice, immigration and citizenship law, international legal studies, and technology and entrepreneurship. School officials believe this combination is unmatched in the history of the law school, which was founded in 1914.
“Starting at Loyola, I had no idea what to expect,” Chilimigras said in the university’s statement. “Faculty and fellow students go out of their way here to welcome and embrace everyone. This atmosphere builds character so the intense academia doesn’t overwhelm you or cause burnout. The classes are difficult but fair. The culture is welcoming but rigorous. It’s like a tough-love friend who’s uncompromising about you becoming the best version of yourself.”
Chilimigras is the oldest of seven children raised by John and Erin Chilimigras in coastal Mississippi. According to his parents, he showed advanced language skills at just two years old, speaking in complete sentences.
His academic journey moved quickly. He earned his high school diploma from St. John Paul the Great in Bay St. Louis at age 12. Instead of attending a traditional university as a young teenager, Chilimigras enrolled at Western Governors University, an online nonprofit institution. By age 15, he had completed both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting.
Soon after finishing his postgraduate accounting studies, he passed the professional exams to become what is widely regarded as the youngest Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the world. When he turned to law in 2023, he scored 174 out of 180 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Loyola University said the score was the highest recorded across Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.
Chilimigras began studying at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in fall 2023, when he was 15. During his three years at the law school, he combined his studies with several leadership roles. He served on the Loyola Law Review, worked as a teaching assistant, and represented the university as both a coach and competitor on the ABA National Moot Court Team.
In his final year, Chilimigras became a Rule XX Student Practitioner in Loyola’s Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic. In that role, he represented clients in active immigration cases.
“Jimmy has made an extraordinary impact on our school,” said Dean Madeleine Landrieu in the university statement. “He’s kind, smart, and exudes a level of maturity that belies his age. His classmates have cared for and protected him, and they have learned from and admired him.”
Landrieu also said that Chilimigras’s grandfather, a graduate of Detroit Mercy Law, drove him to his final exam. She expressed appreciation for the supportive environment the university provided during his studies.
According to historical records compiled by the culture and history website Oldest.org, Chilimigras is among the youngest people in the world to earn a law degree.
The site lists Stephen Baccus of Florida as the youngest known law graduate. He earned his Juris Doctor at age 16 in 1986 and later became a neurobiology professor. Gabrielle Turnquest of Florida earned her degree at 17 in 2013 and later became the youngest barrister in the United Kingdom in six centuries at age 18. Jozef Erece of the Philippines earned his law degree at age 18 in 2015.
After Loyola’s commencement ceremony on May 9, a university spokesperson confirmed that Chilimigras took a family vacation before preparing for his next academic program. He will move to Chicago to study for a Master of Laws (LLM) in taxation at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
This will be the first time Chilimigras has lived outside his home state of Mississippi and could allow him to earn his fourth higher-education degree before turning 20.
