Suzanne A. Crespo
Suzanne A. Crespo
Suzanne A. Crespo
Biography
Suzanne 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 BCLP, 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.
Civic Involvement & Honors
Suzanne is ranked as "Up and Coming" in Chambers USA 2025 for her work in Sports Law.
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Colorado Bar Association
- El Paso County Bar Association
Spoken Languages
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French
Admissions
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Colorado, 2013
Education
Columbia University, J.D., 2013
Cornell University, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, 2010
Related Capabilities
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Business & Commercial Disputes
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Marketing & Advertising
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Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Contract, Endorsement & Celebrity Representation
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Anti-Doping
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Sports & Event Venue Real Estate Infrastructure & Operation
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Naming Rights & Sponsorship
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Sports & Entertainment M&A
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Sports, Media & Entertainment Litigation
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Collegiate Sports
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Sports, Media & Entertainment
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Entertainment Industry
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Olympic & National Governing Bodies
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Professional Sports Team Representation
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Sports & Event Financing
Experience
- Obtained dismissal of two grievances against a National Governing Body over its World Championships selection procedures
- Represented National Governing Bodies in numerous internal hearings to successfully ban or suspend members on the basis of misconduct
- Second-chaired an anti-doping rule violation hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport
- Advised a sports client in negotiations to livestream its event for the first time in history
Related Insights
Jun 05, 2025
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Sep 17, 2021
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Aug 20, 2020
Mar 11, 2020