Poverty Law

Poverty law cuts across many areas of law, which makes it a particularly rich area for study and allows a wide variety of classes to fit within the study of “poverty law.”  It is, in brief, the law as it relates to poor people, which includes everything from community economic development to family law to immigration law to employment law and so on.  There is no one career path associated with poverty law; work for a legal aid organization fits into this category, but so can work for the government or as a community organizer.  Doing poverty law requires a solid grounding in the law as well as an understanding of, or empathy with, the struggles faced by poor people.  Consequently, the study of poverty law might involve a mix of course work, a relevant clinic, and direct work with antipoverty organizations either in an externship or a summer internship. 

Foundational

Key Electives

Experiential

Related