President Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, put the “brief” in briefing as she took the podium for the first time on Tuesday. After nearly nine minutes of opening remarks, she took questions from just three reporters and wrapped up in under 15 minutes.

Political observers described Zacharia’s first appearance in the new role as “shaky” and even “brutal,” leading some to examine her qualifications for the job. When Trump announced her appointment on Truth Social, he called Zacharia “a devoted fan and member of MAGA” and also noted that she is “an attorney.”

While the former certainly rings true, questions have arisen about the “attorney” title. Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, and according to her LinkedIn, her legal work history includes a job as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing and the role of “general counsel” at the conservative nonprofit Fix California.

But whether she was ever authorized to practice law in the United States has been a source of debate. The term “attorney” generally refers to someone who has active authorization from a state to represent clients in court, sign legal documents, give legal advice and more.

“The simplest way to think about it is that someone can graduate from law school and have a law degree, but that doesn’t automatically make them a licensed attorney,” Hannah Hembree Bell, CEO and founder of Hembree Bell Law Firm, told HuffPost. “Graduation is just one step in the process. Next comes the bar exam, licensing applications and other requirements before someone is authorized to practice law.”

So far, reporters have found no record of Zacharia passing a U.S. bar exam. When one journalist asked Trump, “Where did she pass the bar exam? What state?” at a press conference following her first briefing, Zacharia jumped in to reply, “When I moved to China.”

(U.S. bar exams are given in person at testing sites in the states and territories where applicants seek admission, so those living abroad typically must travel back to sit the exam. California changed its rules to allow remote testing in 2024, however. China’s equivalent test, meanwhile, is generally limited to Chinese citizens.)

HuffPost also reached out to the White House to ask where Zacharia was admitted to the bar and whether that admission is still active. Rather than answer those questions, the press office shared a statement from White House communications director Steven Cheung:

“Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary.”

Zacharia has repeatedly referred to herself as a “lawyer.” While HuffPost cannot verify her exact qualifications or the nature of any legal work she may have done, the discussion around her professional history has sparked a broader conversation about what the words ‘lawyer’ and ‘attorney’ actually mean.

“Colloquially, the words are often used interchangeably,” said Ashlee Difuntorum, an associate at Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir. “But technically, ‘lawyer’ is a broader term that refers to someone trained in the law, whereas ‘attorney’ refers to someone who is licensed to practice law.”

The professionals who spoke to HuffPost noted that the distinction between “lawyer” and “attorney” rarely comes up day to day. People who practice law tend to use both, as does the American Bar Association.

“In actual practice ... they are essentially synonyms,” said Rock Rocheleau, a divorce attorney and managing director at Right Lawyers. “But there is a small difference, recognized mostly by people in academia or the courts. A lawyer is someone who has earned a law degree. An attorney is someone who has obtained a license to practice law in a state.”

Hannah Brefeld, an associate at Reavis Page Jump, agreed that the distinction is informal.

“Although the terms are often used interchangeably in the United States and there is no formal rule separating ‘lawyer’ from ‘attorney,’ there is a distinction between them recognized in the legal field,” she explained. “A lawyer is an individual who attended and graduated from law school, earning a Juris Doctor, but who has not yet been admitted to practice law in any state. This situation is most common for an individual who has graduated from law school and either has decided not to sit for the bar exam or has taken it and not passed.”

Becoming an attorney involves additional steps, Brefeld said, such as passing the bar exam and a professional ethics exam, clearing a “character and fitness” review and taking an oath to follow the state’s rules of legal ethics.

A few exceptions exist to the bar exam requirement. For example, Wisconsin’s “diploma privilege” allows graduates of the state’s two American Bar Association-accredited law schools to practice law there without taking the test. But like attorneys in other states, they must still meet other requirements, including continuing legal education to maintain their status over time.

“The most glaring difference between the two roles is that an attorney can represent clients and give legal advice, whereas a lawyer cannot,” Brefeld said, later adding, “To be precise, all attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are attorneys.”

The word “attorney” itself hints at the distinction. Brefeld noted that it comes from an Old French word meaning “to appoint,” as in a person appointed to act on behalf of another.

Lots of people graduate from law school but are never admitted to the bar.

“But they cannot practice law in any state without a license,” Difuntorum said. “That generally means they can’t give individualized legal advice to others, appear in court for others or draft legal documents for others as a legal service. But plenty of other work remains open to them, like lobbying, regulatory compliance, academia, journalism, contract management and legal research and writing (often alongside licensed attorneys who supervise).”

Indeed, legal training can be useful across a wide range of fields.

“A law degree can open doors beyond practicing law,” Hembree Bell said. “Someone who graduates from law school but doesn’t become licensed might work in business, compliance, public policy, legal research or other fields where their understanding of the law is valuable. However, they generally cannot represent clients in court or independently provide legal services that require a license. A law degree and a license to practice law are two different things.”

Brefeld noted that many people go to law school with no plans to become practicing attorneys at all.

“They may be pursuing careers in politics, where a law degree is extremely valuable but being a practicing attorney is not a prerequisite, or careers in what are called ‘J.D. Advantage’ or ‘J.D. preferred’ roles,” she said, pointing to managerial roles like insurance claims managers, human resources managers, jobs that involve complex contracts or even C-suite positions.

“Law school teaches you how to read, analyze and discuss complex legal documents and topics, and that skill has endless applications,” Brefeld added.

Law school graduates have many potential paths, but it’s important to know where the line is drawn.

Essentially, “you can build a career with a law degree without becoming a licensed attorney, as long as you do not practice law on behalf of others, give legal advice or hold yourself out as an attorney,” Brefeld noted.

State laws also prohibit advertising or holding yourself out as practicing, or entitled to practice, law without authorization.

And using “lawyer” instead of “attorney” isn’t necessarily a loophole for someone who hasn’t been admitted to the bar. While the terms are often used interchangeably in casual conversation, state laws on the unauthorized practice of law generally focus on whether someone is presenting themselves as qualified to practice or offering legal services, not on the specific word they choose.

State bar websites typically offer a free attorney search tool to see whether someone is licensed to practice law there.

“I think it’s an important distinction because people sometimes assume that everyone who graduates from law school is out there practicing law,” Hembree Bell said. “That’s not necessarily true.”

She added that if you’re hiring someone to help you navigate an important legal matter, “you want to know that they’re licensed to practice in your state and have the experience to guide you through it.”

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.