1 March 11

An exciting opportunity has recently been advertised, which may be of interest to BASL members.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited is proposing to assemble an independent Service of barristers’ chambers, law firms and individual practitioners to provide independent pro bono legal advice and representation for athletes, coaches, team officials, National Olympic Committees, National Paralympic Committees and International Federations from 9 July to 12 September 2012.

It is intended that the Service will offer legal advice free of charge with a view to helping to ensure the smooth running of the Games.  The spirit of the Games will be furthered by assisting participants to enjoy the best possible experience in the United Kingdom.

Accredited athletes, coaches and team officials from 205 countries for the Olympic Games and 165 countries for the Paralympic Games will be eligible to seek advice and assistance through their Committees from the Service, although they will of course remain free to appoint other lawyers of their own choosing.  The purpose of the Service is to provide a safety net for those who do not have their own legal representatives in place in the UK and who may have difficulty in identifying and funding representation at short notice.

The Service will be made up of a specialist Sports Advocacy Section to represent athletes at hearings, particularly urgent ad hoc hearings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a General Section to provide advice and assistance in the fields of sports, criminal, defamation and privacy, immigration, discrimination and personal injury law. The Sports Advocacy Section will comprise individual advocates and the General Section will be composed of law firms and chambers.

Apart from London, some local coverage in other parts of the United Kingdom including Scotland will be required.

To download relevant information about the scheme and how to apply, please visit www.sportresolutions.co.uk, or contact the London 2012 Pro Bono Service Secretariat c/o Sport Resolutions UK, 1 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8AE, by e-mail: hr@sportresolutions.co.uk, or by Telephone: 020 7036 1966.

Applications will close on 15 May 2011.