If you want to become a lawyer, you will have to make your way into and through a law school program first. In North America, law school is a post-graduate educational program that allows students to specialize in particular aspects of law. Some common focuses include criminal law, civil law, family law, adoption law and medical malpractice law. Admissions to law school are based on undergraduate grades, your score on the LSAT standardized test and, in some cases, admissions essays and/or interviews.
After completing law school, you will have to complete a practical internship with an established lawyer or law firm and take the bar examination. Once you've successfully passed your bar examination, you are granted full lawyer status and can practice law in any jurisdiction in which your credentials are recognized.
You will have to complete a four-year bachelor's degree to meet the minimum educational requirements for applying to law school. While most schools do not require applicants to have an undergraduate degree in any one particular field, most would-be lawyers have backgrounds in the humanities and/or social sciences, particularly sociology and political science.
From there, you will have to take the LSAT, or Law School Admissions Test. It is a standardized test that examines your reasoning and language abilities, as these are crucial to you future success as a lawyer. The better your grades and the higher your LSAT score, the more options you will have for attending law school.
All in all, law school usually takes about three years to complete. It also tends to be quite expensive, so be advised that this is not an educational path for someone who hasn't really made up his or her mind about what he or she wants to do. However, if you're certain you want to become a lawyer, the good news is that there is a very direct and clearly set path awaiting you.