BIOGRAPHY

Luis Fernando Torres (1962) is a lawyer and holds a doctorate in jurisprudence from the Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) (1985), a master's degree in comparative government from the London School of Economics (LSE) (1988), and advanced legal studies in constitutional law from Lafayette College in the USA and the Catholic University of Louvain (KU Leuven). He is one of the most recognized legal experts in Ecuador in constitutional and administrative litigation. He litigates constitutional, administrative, civil, and commercial cases before the courts, the National Court of Justice, and the Constitutional Court. He also has extensive experience in real estate and urban planning law and contracts. He has served as an arbitrator for the Ambato Chamber of Commerce and as a professor in master's programs in comparative constitutional law and administrative litigation. He is a member of the Quito Bar Association and belongs to the ABA. He is also a member of the Legal Commission of the House of Culture of Ecuador. He serves as Dean of the Law School at Indoamérica University. He is President of the Torres Cobo Law Firm (TTCLaw S.A.) and heads the Ambato office.

He served as mayor of the city of Ambato for two terms (1992-2000), and as a member of parliament for the province of Tungurahua on five occasions (1990-1992, 2003-2007, 2007, 2013-2017, and 2017-2019). He was a member of the Board of Directors of the State Bank and presided over the Association of Municipalities of Ecuador (AME) between 1998 and 2000. During his career as a legislator, he chaired the Constitutional Affairs Committee (1991, 2003-2006), the Civil, Criminal, and Judicial Committee (2005-2007), and was a member of the Justice and State Structure Committee and the Constitutional Reform Committee (2013-2019). He was a member of the Legislative Assembly's Administrative Council (2017-2019).

He has written books and essays on public law. He edits the annual legal book, Constitutional Debate. He speaks and writes in Spanish and English and has a working knowledge of French.

practice areas

Constitutional, administrative, civil, and commercial litigation. Legal argumentation in appeals, cassation proceedings, and extraordinary actions for protection, as well as in the closing arguments of trials. Experience in strict liability of the State, damages, civil contracts, real estate contracts, urban development projects, family successions, corporate labor law, criminal law, economic law, business law, legal risk analysis, and political forecasting for decision-making.

LANGUAGES

Spanish and English