LACAH
Founded in 2020
The Law Association for Crimes Across History, LACAH, is a non-profit and student-run project. So far, we have had 650+ participants from 41+ countries compete at our tournaments. With cases themed around social justice, we hope to address current issues through studying history.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide collaborative mock trial opportunities to students around the world to learn about the practice of law, develop empathy, study history with a legal lens, and build a global network of like-minded, proactive peers.
We aspire to make a positive impact on our generation's global outlook, provide a relevant truth-seeking experience, and create international interactions for all.
The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged.
Jean-Luc Picard
Meet Our Executives
Joshua Zhang
Executive Committee Member
Joshua Zhang ('23) is a senior at Shanghai American School and will attend Emory University this fall, intending to major in Philosophy, Politics, and Law. As head of the case team, he strives to bring LACAH tournaments accurate and professional mock trial case packets. A mock trial veteran that has either competed or organized for all iterations of LACAH, he also captains a national-level mock trial team and represented China in a team that ranked third in the world. Joshua doesn’t see mock trial as the end to his legal endeavours: his dream is to become a human rights lawyer and stand up for justice.
Steven Messiah
Executive Committee Member
Steven Messiah ('24) is a junior at North Raleigh Christian Academy. He is the secretary of his school's debate team and has been recently accepted into the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars program. Steven has been with LACAH since spring of 2022, and he hosted the first ever LACAH tournament in the Middle East. He is currently responsible for all things design related for LACAH and has 3+ years of experience in graphic design and photography. He is proficient in many Adobe products such as Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, and Illustrator. Steven creates the LACAH case packets, helps manage the LACAH official website and Instagram page, and helps photograph tournaments.
Nathan Chan
Founder
Executive Director
Nathan H. Chan ('23) is a student of law, international relations, and history living in Shanghai, China. With a passion for social justice, he strives to make tangible impacts on SDG #16 in line with Agenda 2030, through LACAH and his other initiatives. A published author and a seasoned orator, he is multilingual and has developed a particular interest in how global youth can learn from the past to make better decisions in the present.
Alex Tran
Executive Committee Member
Alex Tran ('23) is a senior at Concordia International School Shanghai, and he plans to attend the University of Michigan to major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Since its inception, Alex has been involved with LACAH, earning first place finishes and best attorney honors in both LACAH III and LACAH IV. More recently, he led teams to fourth and second place finishes in the PPMT and NUMT competitions, respectively Alex is not just a successful mock trial competitor, but he is also a passionate leader who is dedicated to growing the community of mock trialers. As a member of the case team, he believes that he can help students develop critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork skills that are essential for success in any field. Alex is committed to inspiring the next generation of mock trialers and building a strong, supportive community that fosters growth and excellence.
Cory Fan
Executive Committee Member
Cory Fan (‘25) is a rising junior at Shanghai American School. A jack of all trades, Cory is an experienced mock trial competitor, coder, and badminton player. Cory has been competing with LACAH since the spring of 2022, winning the LACAH Spirit award in his very first tournament. As the head of the case team, Cory strives to ensure that the LACAH cases provide a thoughtful and accurate experience for all contestants. Leveraging his extensive mock trial experiences with his best friend Alex Tran, he aims to hide elaborate objection battles within the affidavits he writes.
