King Hall Trial Practice Team Excels in National Competition

The UC Davis School of Law team of Jon Ogata ’18 and Samantha Ting ’18 advanced to the finals of the Seventh Annual Judge Paul Joseph Kelly, Jr., Invitational Trial Advocacy Competition, turning in an outstanding showing that solidified the King Hall Trial Advocacy program’s status as a national leader.

The elite invitational competition, hosted by Fordham University School of Law on November 10-12, brought together two-person teams from 18 of the top-ranked trial advocacy programs in the nation, including Georgetown Law, American University Washington College of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, and Drexel University School of Law.  

The UC Davis team advanced through the semi-finals with a hard-fought win over Drexel, and faced Georgetown in the finals. Throughout the competition, the King Hall team’s presentation demonstrated exceptional preparation, mastery of the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the ability to apply those rules to the facts of the case, as well as a genuine professionalism.

This latest success bolsters a growing reputation for excellence. UC Davis is ranked ninth nationally in the Trial Competition Performance Rankings for 2016-17, as compiled by Fordham University’s Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center.

Dennis Cota ’86, who teaches Trial Practice at King Hall and coaches the team, said special thanks were due to Professor Edward Imwinkelried for his assistance with evidence issues in the Kelly Competition case file. He also thanked coaches Ron Scholar and Helane Seikaly for their many hours assisting with preparation, and the members of UC Davis Trial Practice Honors Board and competition teams that have helped build the national reputation of the program. He also expressed gratitude to Dean Kevin R. Johnson and Senior Associate Dean Madhavi Sunder for their ongoing support.