SPORTS LAW
Welcome to the second issue of Legal Information Management (LIM) for 2012. Many months ago, the LIM Editorial Board took the decision that it would be appropriate, in the context of the London Olympic year, for this edition of the journal to be devoted to the theme of sports law. Commissioning papers for this issue proved to be a challenge, not least because sports law is a niche area and one that is relatively unfamiliar to many, including this editor!
The collection of essays on display here introduce many of the substantive legal issues connected with the subject as an academic and practising discipline, as well as defining the sources of law, and the information resources, that underpin it. The eclectic range of articles on offer to the LIM reader address many of the legal problems facing the Olympic Movement as well as some wider sporting issues that have presented themselves during the history of sport.
The opening article, by Jack Anderson of Queens' University Belfast, defines the subject of sports law and argues that, in the truest sense, it has ‘arrived’ as a legal entity and an academic discipline. Mark James and Guy Osburn jointly discuss the legal status of the Olympic Charter and its interpretation by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They also look at the impact of UK legislation in the context of the London Olympics. Simon Boyes reviews the literature in the field of sports law and traces its development to the current day. Esther Cho, of the John Wolff Comparative & International Law Library at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC, offers an essential, and detailed, research guide to the legal resources relating Olympic and international sports law.
Meanwhile, Peter Charlish, of Sheffield Hallam University, tackles that most controversial, and often high profile, issue that affects sport, including the Olympics; the use of drugs. Away from the Olympics, Jonathan Morgan writes an insightful piece on The Jockey Club and judicial review and John Eaton, Librarian and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Manitoba, takes a look at gender equality in that most traditionally masculine of sports – Canadian ice hockey.
I am grateful to each of the contributors mentioned above for their authority on the subject and for bringing sports law ‘to life’ for our readers. As one writer indicated to the editor, “any opportunity to raise the profile of this relatively new discipline should not be missed” and this issue of LIM aims to give it prominence among those in our profession and to our readers in general.
With reference to a final, so far unmentioned, article I am also truly grateful to the current Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Cambridge, David Ibbetson. In his article, he provides an extraordinarily interesting piece of ancient legal history – a contrast to the rest of the articles which, quite naturally, relate to modern law.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Beyond the theme, a new category appears entitled, International Perspectives. LIM is always seeking material, relating to legal information management issues, written with, and/or from, an international viewpoint. Two lengthy articles have emerged for publication this time round. Firstly, from an Australian perspective, but including a comparative insight as well, comes an article written by Marita Shelly and Margaret Jackson on copyright and contracts, the use of electronic resources provided by University Libraries. Secondly, from the University of Delhi, Raj Kumar Bhardwaj describes a case study of online legal information systems in India and reminds us about the theory behind information retrieval as a concept.
CURRENT AWARENESS AND BOOK REVIEWS
As ever, I am grateful to Katherine Read and Laura Griffiths for their Current Awareness section. This issue also includes two book reviews relating to books on the topic of finding law. These titles were written for non-UK based lawyers and researchers (the book by Eaton relating to English law) and from the point of view of librarians and paralegals (by Carson). Both were published in 2011. These reviews were written by Ian Hunter, Chair of the BIALL PR and Promotion Committee.
