Lawyer is not an American term - use of the word in the English language predates the discovery of the Americas by at least a century.
It is used as a generic term for those who are practitioners of the law, though in colloquial use is often limited to attorneys (US) and solicitors (English).
A solicitor has to have a Practicing Certificate to practice law and call himself a solicitor. Anyone working in the legal profession can call themselves a lawyer regardless of qualifications.