Katie Zacharia’s Resume Gets Shredded by Law Professors

Kylie Cooper / REUTERS White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is facing fresh scrutiny about her dubious claims about her career background — and even her explanation for things isn’t adding up.

Zacharia, 41, has claimed on her resume that she has worked as an attorney, but there is no evidence that she has passed the bar in any U.S. state, let alone her native California, where she claims to have done legal work.

When pressed about her credentials on her second day on the job, she did not appear to name a state, instead saying she passed it “when I moved to China.” But legal experts are sowing doubt about the fact that a fresh law school graduate could have become a licensed attorney in the communist country.

Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine Caruso Law School in 2011.

Shortly thereafter, she joined her husband Tyler in China, where he had already been living in Beijing.

The couple lived in China for about two years between 2011 and 2013.

While abroad, her LinkedIn also states that she worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, an elite Chinese law firm.

She worked as a fundraising manager at Compassion for Migrant Children while in China, according to her LinkedIn.

The organization describes itself as “a collaborative effort to provide a framework within which organizations, individuals, and companies can express their care for children of migrant workers.” Mark Jia, a Georgetown Law professor who specializes in China, told independent outlet Popular Information that he was unaware of anyone like Zacharia who would have been licensed to practice law in China.

“Why would a Chinese law firm hire someone to advise on foreign law if they were not licensed to practice that law in their home countries?” Jia asked, suggesting that it was more likely that Zacharia was employed as a paralegal or another similar position, not an actual attorney.

He noted that even in the unlikely event that she was hired as a foreign legal consultant overseas, it would still not make her a licensed attorney.

“It is not accurate for her to call herself a lawyer.

There is a difference between being licensed to practice law and doing legal work,” he explained.

“The Chinese government does not make someone an attorney simply by allowing them to perform some legal work for a law firm.