Poverty affidavit – this is a term used in Court Trials. The poverty affidavit is used by claimants who are not able to cover the standard court fee for submitting their claim, so they ask the court to release them from paying it; or used by defendants who are not able due to social criteria, to pay a lawyer’s fee so they ask the court to cover the lawyer’s fees and to appoint a lawyer to given them legal aid and to represent them.