Anti-doping

Our lawyers operate at the cutting edge of anti-doping regulation, acting in some of the most high-profile and important doping cases worldwide. Group head Jonathan Taylor QC has drafted parts of the World Anti-Doping Code and several WADA international standards, and the team drafts anti-doping rules and associated regulations and advises on all aspects of establishing and administering a successful anti-doping programme for a number of international federations, as well as for UK Ant-Doping, the national anti-doping organisation for the United Kingdom.

We also advise on all parts of the results management process, from investigation and charge through to resolution of the matter, be that an agreed sanction or a panel ruling after a contested first instance hearing and any appeal proceedings. Many of the team regularly appear as advocates on behalf of anti-doping organisations before a wide range of anti-doping tribunals, including the UK’s National Anti-Doping Panel, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

We help our clients to achieve:

• the effective education of participants and clear delineation of stakeholder responsibilities;
• the effective conduct of doping investigations and day-to-day results management, by providing clear and robust advice on points of law, fact, and strategy;
• pursuing cases to their resolution, including advocacy before the relevant disciplinary tribunal;
• maintaining and monitoring Code-compliant anti-doping rules and regulations; and
• ensuring compliance with regulatory and national law obligations regarding data protection.

Case studies

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): Sports Group head Jonathan Taylor QC has drafted sections of the World Anti-Doping Code for WADA, as well as parts of the International Standard for Testing & Investigations and the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions. In his role as chair of the WADA Compliance Review Committee (2016-2020), he drafted the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories. He currently chairs WADA’s Working Group on Contaminants. We have also acted for WADA in proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and International Tennis Federation (ITF): We represent UKAD in bringing charges against athletes and athlete support personnel for breaches of the United Kingdom Anti-Doping Rules. We perform the same function for the International Tennis Federation in cases brought under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) (including the Puerta, Sharapova, and Errani cases). This includes advocacy before Sport Resolutions tribunals and, on appeal, before CAS.

Key Contacts

Jonathan Taylor, Chris Lavey