Venue is defined as where a dispute is litigated. Seems easy enough, but it's not always so easy.
You want venue in your local jurisdiction. Primarily that is for ease and efficiency. It is not guaranteed you'll get a more favorable judge, but it can't hurt either.
But suppose your venue clause reads as this: "Venue shall be in St. Paul, Minnesota". Is that good? It is not. The reason is there are both state and federal courts in St. Paul. If you have it heard in federal court, you can still be in St. Paul. The risk you run is that federal courts are much more likely to remove the matter to the non-Minnesota company's local federal court. You may have been expecting to be in Ramsey County District Court, but your venue clause didn't lock that down.
Contracts are difficult and complex. Don't miss something simple!
