What does it take to become a criminal defense lawyer? A criminal defense lawyer, also known as a defense attorney, is a lawyer specializing in defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal conduct. I plan on going to college when I graduate high school to become a criminal defense lawyer. There are a lot of requirements and test I have to take in order to even get into law school. For example, I have to go to college for 7 years, 4 years at a university and 3 years of law schooling