Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/642579
In the midst of a busy corporate commercial litigation practice, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP lawyers Jim Bunting and Chantelle Spagnola have been active with pro bono work in sports-related disputes. Bunting and Spagnola worked together to fight for Jack Burke, a rising junior Canadian cyclist. Burke tested positive for a banned substance in his first international competition. It was a tiny amount of a diuretic believed to have come from some water he drank in a Quebec mining town. The potential consequences were devastating. The pair took the case all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which handed down what's believed to be its first ever finding of no fault. Another ground-breaking case Bunting spearheaded recently garnered international media attention. He successfully represented Dutee Chand, an Indian sprinter prevented from competing because her natural testosterone level exceeded the maximum threshold for women. Bunting and Spagnola's pro bono work offers the litigators an opportunity to expand their professional scope while making a difference in their clients' lives. "Although we don't operate in the criminal context, some of these doping allegations can really be quasi-criminal," Spagnola says. "They put someone's reputation and sometimes their livelihood on the line." For some athletes, pro bono representation can mean the difference between competing and being on the sidelines. "We try and pick the cases that have the most benefit and assistance to the athlete who needs it," Bunting says. "To take a case through a hearing can cost up to $100,000." "I understand how important it is for these athletes to have someone in their corner and give them a chance to fulfill their dreams," says Bunting. Athletes aren't the only beneficiaries of Bunting and Spagnola's pro bono work. Bunting has shared his legal expertise and time with Camp Oochigeas, a summer camp for children with cancer that extends to programs in Toronto all year round. In her spare time, Spagnola also works with kids as an adviser for Earth Rangers, an organization where children learn about respecting and protecting the planet. "Pro bono work gives you a chance to change things for the better," Spagnola says. Chantelle Spagnola and Jim Bunting 24 FLIP YOUR WIG