UC Davis School of Law provides its students with an education that has a unique balance of theory and practice. Virtually every student who graduates from UC Davis participates in one or more of the school's trial and appellate advocacy programs. These programs include appellate advocacy, the various moot court competitions, the trial practice classes and the trial practice competition. Such programs are not only important to a student's legal education, but showcase the academic excellence of the UC Davis School of Law, contributing to the school's national reputation and the value of the degrees it confers. Without this type of applied skills training, graduates would advance to legal careers with virtually no experience in areas critical to the practice of law.

Under the direction of Edward J. Imwinkelried, the trial practice program enlists the active participation of judges and lawyers, many of them alumni, as lab instructors for the practical training of students in trial advocacy. About 90 percent of UC Davis’ students receive training in trial advocacy before graduation - one of the highest percentages in the nation among the law schools where the trial practice course is an elective.

Students also participate in the National Mock Trial Competition and have won several awards in the competition over the years. For students who are not interested in interschool competitions, UC Davis conducts an annual intraschool trial tournament, the Frances Carr Competition. Since the Carr tourney is held in the fall and the regional tournament in the spring, students may participate in both inter- and intra-school competitions in the same academic year.