Suzanne Crespo

Suzanne is a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and represents sports national governing bodies and international federations in domestic and international arbitration and in internal grievance proceedings, including in the areas of athlete protection, “opportunity to compete” and selection challenges, compliance claims, doping cases, and a wide array of other disputes within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement and sports more broadly. Since she joined the firm, she has represented over twenty sports organizations in over ninety of these types of disputes.

Suzanne is well known for her work designing and implementing athlete protection policies on behalf of both professional and amateur sports organizations. In addition, she regularly advises sports clients on the development, implementation, and enforcement of bylaws, selection procedures, and other organizational rules, policies, and procedures. Suzanne has also played a key role in obtaining recognition and sanctioning for new and emerging sports, and maintaining the good standing of existing sports in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

As part of her sports practice, Suzanne regularly advises clients on nonprofit formation, governance, board disputes, and other issues unique to nonprofit organizations.

Prior to joining Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Suzanne served as a judicial clerk for Judges Richard Gabriel and Russell Carparelli on the Colorado Court of Appeals. She is a former course record holder in the Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb Ascent (2015) and was the 2012 Professional Women’s New York State Road Race champion in cycling.