James 'Jimmy' Chilimigras, an 18-year-old from Mississippi, has become one of the youngest people ever to graduate from law school. He received his Juris Doctor degree summa cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
Early Academic Achievements
Chilimigras first made headlines in 2023 when he scored a 174 out of 180 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the highest score in a region encompassing Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. He was just 15 years old at the time. By age 12, he had earned a high school diploma from St. John Paul the Great in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. By 15, he had completed both a bachelor's and a master's degree in accounting from Western Governors University, an online nonprofit institution. He also became the world's youngest certified public accountant.
Law School Success
At Loyola, Chilimigras ranked in the top 2% of his class and earned the highest grade in more than 40% of his courses. He represented clients in immigration matters at the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and earned certificates of concentration in five areas: taxation, social justice, immigration and citizenship law, international legal studies, and technology and entrepreneurship. Loyola noted this achievement is believed to be unmatched in the school's history.
Global Recognition
Loyola projects Chilimigras to be the youngest law school graduate ever in Louisiana. According to the website oldest.org, he may be among the four youngest people globally to obtain a law degree. The list includes Jozef Erece of the Philippines (18 in 2015), Gabrielle Turnquest of Florida (17 at graduation, later the youngest UK barrister in six centuries at 18), and Stephen Baccus of Florida (16 in 1986).
Chilimigras, who is the oldest of seven siblings, credited his family and the Loyola community for their support. 'I had no idea what to expect,' he said in a statement, 'but faculty and fellow students went out of their way to welcome and embrace me.'
Future Plans
After a vacation on a cruise ship, Chilimigras plans to pursue a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in taxation from Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law in Chicago. This will be his first time living far from Bay St. Louis, which is less than 60 miles from New Orleans. If all goes as planned, he will complete the LLM before age 20.
