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Do any of the law schools in the NYC area allow auditors who are not currently enrolled in the university?

I would like to sit in on a law class as part of my professional development and to better assess my interest/fit for law [school]. My employer is willing to pay for a class, but I can't find any info on law school sites.

Thanks in advance,
SMFL

smokemonsterfromLOST wrote:Do any of the law schools in the NYC area allow auditors who are not currently enrolled in the university?

I would like to sit in on a law class as part of my professional development and to better assess my interest/fit for law. My employer is willing to pay for a class, but I can't find any info on law school sites.

Thanks in advance,
SMFL

Law school classes will neither aid your professional development nor help you assess your "fit" for law; law school classes bear virtually no relation to legal practice whatsoever.

Also, IME auditors make asses of themselves and quickly attract the hatred of the entire class with their inane questions and monopolization of lecture time. Please don't do this.

Fair enough, I've edited to reflect that it will help me assess my fit for law school. Not sure you can make any determinations about my professional development knowing nothing about my profession, but I'll let that one lie.

Since you've had to deal with auditors, then it's a possibility. Did/do you attend a NYC school?

smokemonsterfromLOST wrote:Fair enough, I've edited to reflect that it will help me assess my fit for law school. Not sure you can make any determinations about my professional development knowing nothing about my profession, but I'll let that one lie.

There is no profession in existence that would benefit from law school classes more than virtually any other use of the time, but since you've never been to law school I'll let that one lie.

smokemonsterfromLOST wrote: Since you've had to deal with auditors, then it's a possibility. Did/do you attend a NYC school?

No, but I don't have to have gone to a NYC school to tell you that auditing law classes is a complete waste of anyone's time and money.

You're very grumpy! I understand that you think this is a bad idea. I will seriously take that perspective to mind. But in addition to knowing whether it is a good or a bad idea, I would also like to know whether it is even possible.

just contact the registrar of whatever school. that office will know.

smokemonsterfromLOST wrote:You're very grumpy!

Nah, I'm in a wonderful mood today actually. Just trying to adequately communicate the appropriate reaction to the idea of auditing.

I understand that you think this is a bad idea. I will seriously take that perspective to mind.

If you mean that, then I've done my job. But people say the same thing on this forum 10,000 times a day, then proceed to make the most self-destructive life decisions imaginable against all advice. So you understand where I'm coming from.

Thankfully, auditing a law school class isn't going to hurt you, at least not more than whatever chump change you spend taking it. But it's still pointless and deserves to be noted as such.

But in addition to knowing whether it is a good or a bad idea, I would also like to know whether it is even possible.

Fair enough. Can't help you there.

I hear you! As you can see by my join date, I've been on this forum for a while (I joined after undergrad) and I still haven't gone to law school, but am still considering it (probably past the point of ripeness). I certainly don't make decisions rashly.

As an undergrad, I've witnessed what you describe - auditors taking over classes with inane comments. I hope I won't be that person regardless of what professional development I pursue.

My firm is willing to pay for a range of courses - and my boss has suggested using it as an opportunity to dip my toe in to determine which grad school path might be a good fit. There are many courses that I could take that would be more immediately applicable to my job (versus useful in further evaluating law school).

anyriotgirl wrote:just contact the registrar of whatever school. that office will know.

Thanks, anyriotgirl, good idea. Will see if it's possible but will weigh ymmv's comments in determining whether it's a sensible thing to do.

smokemonsterfromLOST wrote:

anyriotgirl wrote:just contact the registrar of whatever school. that office will know.

Thanks, anyriotgirl, good idea. Will see if it's possible but will weigh ymmv's comments in determining whether it's a sensible thing to do.

And just ask to sit in on a class or two. Auditing, at least in my experience, is attending a class for a whole term without getting credit, not just sampling it for an hour or whatever to see if you like it.

ymmv wrote:
There is no profession in existence that would benefit from law school classes more than virtually any other use of the time, but since you've never been to law school I'll let that one lie.

Does that include practicing law? FWIW, I've spent the past couple years in litigation consulting, and having a "textbook" understanding of legal issues is actually pretty useful for the work we do (a couple of the MDs have a JD). I've sat in on classes that were related to regulatory work we were engaged in, and found them helpful in giving me a different perspective on the issues.