{"id":4481,"date":"2023-09-18T12:48:26","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T10:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steinhoefel.c401.comwerk.hosting\/?page_id=4481"},"modified":"2026-08-14T13:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:44:06","slug":"ueber-uns","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/ueber-uns\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Joachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel is among Germany\u2019s most prominent lawyers in unfair competition and media law and one of the country\u2019s most determined defenders of free speech in the digital age. His career, spanning more than three decades, has been marked by landmark courtroom victories, influential publications and high-profile media appearances that have had a lasting impact on public debate about fundamental rights and platform accountability. Founded in 1989, his firm litigates cases that create precedents\u2014not cases that merely follow them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

Among his early successes are landmark rulings by the Federal Court of Justice that contributed to the liberalization of the German telecommunications market and the development of unfair competition law\u2014cases that established him as one of the country\u2019s leading competition lawyers. He has taken more than 200 cases to the Federal Court of Justice. That record sets him apart from those who merely practice law. Steinh\u00f6fel is among those who shape it. His clients range from medium-sized companies to globally known entrepreneurs and Forbes-listed figures, including Alisher Usmanov and Roman Abramovich\u2014the quality of the mandates matters, not their quantity.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

In media and press law, Steinh\u00f6fel secured what is widely regarded as a historic decision in March 2018: the first court injunction prohibiting Meta (Facebook) from deleting a post and suspending a user\u2019s account, thereby establishing that platform rules known as \u201cCommunity Standards\u201d cannot override the protections afforded by German constitutional law. The decision attracted attention across virtually all major German media and laid the foundation for a sustained record of success: the restoration of deleted content, the lifting of account suspensions and, in 2020, a landmark ruling by the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court prohibiting misleading fact-check notices and the deletion of a \u201cfalse opinion\u201d by Facebook\u2019s \u201cfact-checkers.\u201d International coverage by the BBC\u2014\u201cthe lawyer who takes on Facebook over free speech\u201d\u2014Newsweek, Al Jazeera, NZZ, Weltwoche and the Jerusalem Post\u2014\u201cfreedom of press expert\u201d\u2014underscored the global significance of cases others considered unwinnable.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

In 2026, Steinh\u00f6fel secured a cease-and-desist undertaking from ZDF on behalf of Elon Musk, together with the removal of a grave allegation that violated Musk\u2019s personality rights. The result attracted substantial media attention in Germany and internationally.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

Steinh\u00f6fel also successfully represented Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 in proceedings against DER SPIEGEL.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

Equally clear is his record against state overreach in matters of free speech and freedom of the press. In 2019, he succeeded in having then Minister of State Niels Annen unblock a Jerusalem Post reporter whom Annen had blocked on Twitter. Another extraordinary run followed in 2024: sixteen cases against the German federal government, sixteen victories\u2014including a major success before the Federal Constitutional Court. This pattern points either to extraordinary luck or extraordinary ability. Steinh\u00f6fel has repeatedly appeared as an expert witness before committees of the German Bundestag\u2014before the Committee on Legal Affairs on the Network Enforcement Act and the reform of unfair competition law, and before the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid on freedoms in the digital age. His expertise is sought by the Bundestag, U.S. senators and the U.S. Department of State.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

Steinh\u00f6fel has also been a prominent presence in German media for many years. He appears regularly on WELT, wrote the BILD column \u201cRecht klar,\u201d published guest commentaries in Euronews and has been the subject of extensive national and international coverage, from Politico to the Jerusalem Post. He appears when precedents are being made, not merely cited.<\/span><\/span> von Politico bis zur Jerusalem Post. Er taucht auf, wenn Pr\u00e4zedenzf\u00e4lle kreiert und nicht nur zitiert werden.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

His nonfiction book Die digitale Bevormundung, published in May 2024, reached No. 1 on both the BILD and SPIEGEL bestseller lists. It examines and criticizes how major platforms\u2014and increasingly the state\u2014interfere with the fundamental right to freedom of expression. With Der Staat gegen Steinh\u00f6fel, published in 2026, he achieved his second No. 1 SPIEGEL bestseller. Drawing on specific court cases and regulations, the book documents how state institutions in Germany and Europe bend the law, suppress criticism and exceed the limits of legitimate state power\u2014developments that carry the potential for a civilizational conflict with the United States. An English translation, The State V. Steinh\u00f6fel, followed later that same year. Both books make the point clearly: legal boldness, creativity and precision do more than deliver courtroom victories\u2014they lay the foundation for defending fundamental rights against overreaching opponents who only appear all-powerful.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

The firm combines successful litigation with public impact\u2014a rare combination of decades of courtroom experience against the most powerful opponents, whether governments or Silicon Valley giants, and the media sophistication to shape wider public debate. Mandates are selected according to their legal and strategic significance, not expediency. This approach suits clients who value resolve and understand that certain battles must be fought regardless of the resources available to the opponent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

Where others seek settlements, this firm sets precedents. Where others retreat from complexity, it creates clarity. Its value lies not in size, but in irreplaceability: legal precision, media impact and an uncompromising commitment to constitutional principles.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

The final word belongs to Henryk M. Broder, with a passage from his preface to Die digitale Bevormundung:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201e\u201cSteinh\u00f6fel is outstanding in his command of language and his quick wit; he is formidable in his expertise and overwhelming in the way he sweeps aside his opponents. Not everyone likes him, but everyone fears him. And that is what matters in court. No lawyer wins every case. But Steinh\u00f6fel leaves the courtroom a winner even when he loses the case. He rarely loses.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tJoachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t

- Attorney-at-Law -<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Joachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel, born in Hamburg, is one of Germany\u2019s most prominent lawyers in media, freedom of expression and unfair competition law. He has taken more than 200 cases to the Federal Court of Justice. He has secured landmark rulings on free speech online and represents German and international clients in cases of particular legal and public significance. His books Die digitale Bevormundung and Der Staat gegen Steinh\u00f6fel each reached No. 1 on the SPIEGEL bestseller list. An English edition of Der Staat gegen Steinh\u00f6fel was published under the title The State V. Steinh\u00f6fel.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tHendrik Merx - LL.M. (SUN)\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t

- Attorney-at-Law -<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hendrik Merx is an attorney specializing in press and defamation law. He handles injunction, right-of-reply and retraction proceedings and advises on legal issues involving digital communications, particularly social-media publications and platform-related disputes.<\/p>

Before joining the firm, he spent several years at an international commercial law firm in Frankfurt. During a secondment, he worked in the legal department of X, formerly Twitter. He earned his Master of Laws degree from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\tStar Attorney\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tBILD, 26.06.2026\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tElon Musk has secured the services of one of the best lawyers we have in Germany: Mr. Steinh\u00f6fel.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tWelt, 18.06.2026\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tTop lawyer and free speech activist Joachim Steinh\u00f6fel.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tBILD, 06.10.2021\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tThe renowned Hamburg attorney Joachim Steinh\u00f6fel \u2026 sees fundamental rights in danger.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tBZ, 29.12.2021\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tAccording to the NZZ, Steinh\u00f6fel is one of the \u201ccentral figures in the debate on freedom of expression on the internet.\u201d\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tNZZ, 06.06.2018\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tA brilliant professional.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tAlischer B. Usmanow\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tThe lawyer who takes on Facebook over free speech.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tBBC\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tFor the first time, a court has prohibited Facebook from deleting a user\u2019s post\u2026 The lawyer: Joachim Steinh\u00f6fel.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\tHardly any jurist in Germany has done as much to advance freedom of expression as Steinh\u00f6fel.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tWELT\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tSteinh\u00f6fel is outstanding in the power of his language and his quick wit; he is superb in his expertise and overwhelming in the way he dismantles his opponents.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tHenryk M. Broder\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tJoachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel is one of Germany\u2019s most distinguished jurists.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tBILD\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\tTop attorney for competition and press law.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tWirtschaftswoche online, 29.07.2014\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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Joachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel z\u00e4hlt zu den profiliertesten deutschen Juristen im Lauterkeits- und Medienrecht und zu den entschiedensten Verfechtern der Meinungsfreiheit im digitalen Zeitalter. Seine \u00fcber drei Jahrzehnte w\u00e4hrende Karriere zeichnet sich durch wegweisende Prozesserfolge, einflussreiche Publikationen und medienwirksame Auftritte aus, die die \u00f6ffentliche Debatte \u00fcber Grundrechte und die Rechenschaftspflicht von Plattformen nachhaltig gepr\u00e4gt haben. Seine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4481","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4481"}],"version-history":[{"count":119,"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5279,"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4481\/revisions\/5279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}