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Growing up in Buenos Aires, Martin Lythgoe considers himself fortunate to have had very strong influences in his life.
“My father was a doctor and my mom was an entrepreneur, and they brought us up to be open minded,” he shares. “My mom had studied law and, though she never finished her degree, she was always talking about how much she wished she had completed her studies.”
That was a catalyst for Lythgoe being interested in the field of law.
“On top of that, I have a strong sense of fairness, and I knew studying law would help me achieve that in life,” he explains. “By knowing the rules of the game, I would be able to make this a fairer world. I’ve always been surrounded by people with high ethics and integrity.”
Lythgoe studied law in Buenos Aires and worked for a very small law firm before transitioning to one of Argentina’s largest firms—M. & M. Bomchil, where he was one of fifty lawyers. He found it “fascinating.”
In 2006, Lythgoe moved from Argentina to Houston, earning his LLM from the University of Houston and beginning his career in private practice at King & Spalding.
“It was a big move for me,” the deputy GC recalls. “I went to the next level. Now, you’re talking about top-tier lawyers in the world, and I was very lucky to work with so many great lawyers who would show me the ins and outs of the common law process. In Argentina, we are a civil-law country, so this was a big shift and required a different mindset.”
While there, one of his main clients was Duke Energy, and he was soon invited to join the growing company as an in-house counsel, spending six years there and working his way up to deputy general counsel.
Next on his resume was a general counsel position at Orazul Energia Management, which was acquired by I Squared Capital in 2018, which is how he found himself in his current position as deputy general counsel for the Miami-based company.
“I have been very lucky to be invited to work in-house by a client, and then the fund that controls the company asking you to move—those are things I am very thankful for,” Lythgoe notes.
In his role, Lythgoe is responsible for leading the firm’s growth in energy, transportation, and M&A across the Americas while managing legal risks for the company’s $40 billion portfolio.
One of his biggest accomplishments is handling multi-million-dollar transactions and complex situations across America.
“This involves accessing, understanding and working in the infrastructure world, and being able to do it to a point where I can sit down with a lawyer at any firm and have a nice conversation,” Lythgoe says, “and doing so in an industry that helps millions of people. We generate power and maintain highways for millions of people and we are making a big contribution to the world, so it’s very fulfilling.”
The legal team at I Squared Capital is lean, but they work with multidisciplinary teams, so Lythgoe must lead not only lawyers, but investors, MBAs, engineers, accountants and others, and everyone must work towards the same goals.
“You do that by having an open mind and being humble,” he explains. “You need to understand the different incentives that all the team members have. They have different personalities. That creates a natural tension that requires constant negotiation. Being able to do that successfully is what makes me a good leader, I believe.”
Mentorship, Lythgoe believes, is what made him who he is today.
“I was blessed to have outstanding people throughout my career, and I didn’t even look for them—they offered to help me,” he says as he smiles. “People have been very generous in helping me. I try to do the same thing with people I work with. I do it not only with my reports but my colleagues, offering the same support, particularly younger employees, become solid professionals.”
This year, I Squared is poised to grow rapidly, and Lythgoe is helping with a number of different initiatives as part of its expansion. Currently, the company has nine products, but over the course of the next year, that number is expected to grow.
Outside the job, Lythgoe enjoys all that Miami has to offer. He goes sailing with his children and bike rides and swims when he finds the time.
Another venture Lythgoe is involved in is Numen.Bio, a company he co-founded in 2024, which promotes regenerative agriculture. He thanks I Squared for being generous enough to let him do this part-time.
“This goes back to the entrepreneurial aspect of my life and trying to make this a better world,” the deputy GC explains. “It’s focused on Argentia, with intentions to expand to Europe and Africa. We’re just trying to create a positive impact.”
Sidley congratulates Martin Lythgoe on his well-deserved feature, which recognizes the vision, passion, and ethical leadership we have admired for years. We are honored to work with Martin and I Squared Capital on many important matters shaping the infrastructure sector.
Sidley is the firm of choice for clients in the Energy, Transportation and Infrastructure sectors. We offer broad experience advising clients in the energy, digital media, transportation, and logistics industries, ranging from strategic transactional matters to essential counsel on regulatory issues and litigation support.
