The problem with Katie Zacharia calling herself a lawyer

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer.

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images Two watchdog groups asked the California state bar to investigate White House spox Katie Zacharia.

She worked as a general counsel in California.

The state bar has no record she was licensed there.

It is a misdemeanor in California to advertise yourself as an attorney if you don't have a license.

A growing chorus is voicing concern about White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia's self-described legal career.

Two watchdog groups Wednesday filed complaints with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether she violated California law by calling herself a lawyer.

It is a misdemeanor in California to practice law or advertise yourself as an attorney if you don't have a license to do so.

Several law and legal-ethics professors told Business Insider that if Zacharia misrepresented herself as an attorney, or used a title like general counsel without having been admitted to the bar, that could land her in trouble with state bar officials should she try to join in the future.

President Trump's new press secretary has repeatedly referred to herself as a lawyer.

Her LinkedIn page says she worked as a general counsel in California and later worked for a law firm in China as an associate on an international practice team.

"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," Zacharia said in a statement provided to Business Insider by the White House.

Business Insider reviewed records for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and found no evidence that Zacharia had been admitted to practice law in the US.

The Substack publication Popular Information previously reported that Zacharia hasn't been admitted to any state bar.