Marco Tulio Venegas is a founding partner of Litredi, SC, and has more than 23 years of professional and academic experience. He is one of Mexico’s most recognised attorneys in the field of international commercial arbitration. He pairs his expertise in arbitration with a wide range of experience in administrative, commercial litigation and constitutional (amparo) litigation.

What inspired you to dedicate your practice to both litigation and international arbitration?

Initially there was not so much a specific factor inspiring me, but just the opportunity to start my career in a relevant law firm. Once I got acquainted with the nuances of litigation it became evident to me that my natural inclination to fight and challenge the status quo serves me well for the purposes of defending our clients’ interests.

How did your dispute resolution practice evolve over time?

A logical evolution in my administrative and commercial litigation practice got me involved in international arbitration at a time in which Mexico had just adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. When I started practicing arbitration, I realised that it allowed me to present the cases in a different and more profound manner, focusing on the substantive merits rather than formalistic arguments. This opened to me different techniques in persuasion, argumentation, and strategy. In the end, a multidimensional practice is just the best way to perfect the advocacy skills.

You are now considered one of Mexico’s foremost litigators. How have you built this reputation?

Work, effort, and integrity are the keys to having a successful practice. You must be true to yourself and avoid second-guessing. Once you take a case you should be willing to go all the way until the interests and goals of your client are achieved. Furthermore, you should keep faith in your arguments and if necessary, adjust the strategy to be followed. Litigation is like a marathon in which resilience is a key factor to achieving a good outcome.

What are the principal challenges facing your commercial clients and how can you help overcome them?

There are two main challenges in commercial litigation and arbitration nowadays. The first is the long duration of a lawsuit or an arbitration proceeding. This is not useful for them and is always uncomfortable for the attorneys who need to deal with the clients’ expectations. The best way to overcome this problem is to be in close contact with your client, explaining to them the scenarios and duration of each stage. In addition, designing strategies to simplify and accelerate the proceedings is always welcomed by the clients.

The second problem, unfortunately, relates to corruption. The only way to attack it is to be very aware of what is happening in a proceeding and react immediately to any conduct that may be inappropriate. There are always legal mechanisms to fight corruption and an attorney should not be tentative in using them.

One aspect of LITREDI’s philosophy is the importance of active participation in the drafting of new regulations. How does this enhance your practice and the firm's dispute resolution expertise?

Participating in potential regulations is a way of contributing to the evolution of the law. In doing so, you keep updated in the vast regulatory landscape but also understand the reasons behind new regulations and amendments. This knowledge, of course, could be easily used in any dispute that may have any relation to such regulations.

You have a very well-rounded practice that also spans intellectual property and consumer protection disputes. How do you ensure you have a deep understanding of different sectors and areas of law?

The key is always to identify the basic principles behind each area of law. Once you have understood them it is easy to navigate through the specific regulations and the way they are updated.

What do you think sets LITREDI apart from other firms in the market?

We are a boutique that is focused exclusively on the needs of our clients. We try not to see our law firm as a “business” selling a product, as all large law firms do. Due to our size and philosophy, we are very disciplined and strict in our own craft and have direct contact with all the details of the case. This allows us to provide the best possible advice and assistance for the efficient resolution of a dispute. Our success lies in our ability to keep it simple for our clients, while at the same time have the sophistication to prevail in cases against large national and international law firms.

How would you like to develop your practice over the next few years?

We would like to continue strengthening the reputation of our team handling cases as counsel and arbitrators, but also pairing such practice with administrative, constitutional and human rights litigation.