Poverty Law and Advocacy in America: Readings and Materials begins by engaging readers in thinking about what it is like to be poor and questioning commonly held conceptions about the poor. Part II of the book considers the needs of the poor and how these needs are met through the implementation of federal and state policy. This section demonstrates that while programs may effectively become stop-gap measures preventing families from falling into utter destitution, they do not enable families to effectively leave poverty. Part III discusses the structures for advocacy in the legal system and the role of lawyers who represent the poor.