Dr Despina Mavromati is an independent attorney-at-law based in Lausanne, a UEFA Club Financial Control Body Member and an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).  She has extensive experience in international sports law and arbitration. She represents athletes, clubs and federations and advises on regulatory and sports governance matters, including the recognition and enforcement of awards and freezing of assets in Switzerland.

 

Despina has acted as arbitrator, counsel, co-counsel, expert or arbitrator in numerous sports arbitrations, involving contractual, governance, doping-related and other disciplinary and ethics matters. Recognized as a Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal in Switzerland every year since 2018, “Despina Mavromati is “brilliant and accomplished” and “an amazing lawyer with immense knowledge and expertise when it comes to disputes before the CAS” (Who’s Who Legal 2023).

Despina has co-authored the critically acclaimed Commentary of the CAS Code (with Matthieu Reeb) and has in-depth experience of the mechanics of sports arbitration tribunals. She is a former Member of the UEFA Appeals Body, the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal, the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation and has served as the Chair of the Independent Ethics and Disciplinary Commission of the International Weightlifting Federation (2020-2021).

 

Despina is a member of the bar in Vaud (CH) and Thessaloniki (GR) and a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). She holds a PhD from the University of Fribourg (CH), an LL.M. and an M.B.A. from the University of Saarland (DE) and a law degree from the University of Thessaloniki (GR).