{"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":"2026-03-26T17:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:30:26","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 attorneys, with recognized expertise in unfair competition law, media law, and the defense of free speech in the digital age. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has achieved landmark courtroom victories, authored influential publications, and maintained a high-profile media presence\u2014shaping public debate on constitutional rights and platform accountability. Founded in 1989, his firm litigates cases that create precedents rather than follow them.<\/p>

His early successes include pivotal Federal Court of Justice rulings that liberalized the German telecommunications market and reshaped German unfair competition law\u2014cases that established him as one of the country\u2019s leading competition lawyers. More than 200 proceedings before Germany\u2019s highest civil court set him apart from those who merely practice law. Steinh\u00f6fel is among those who shape it. His client base ranges from mid-sized businesses to international figures on the Forbes list. The quality and significance of the mandates matter, not their quantity.<\/p>

In media and press law, Steinh\u00f6fel obtained a decision widely regarded as historic in April 2018: the first court injunction to prohibit Meta (Facebook) from deleting a post and suspending a profile, and to confirm that platform rules (\u201cCommunity Standards\u201d) cannot override the constitutional protections guaranteed under German law. The decision drew attention across virtually all major German media and laid the foundation for a sustained record of success: restoring deleted content, lifting account suspensions, and, in 2020, securing a landmark ruling by the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court (OLG Karlsruhe) prohibiting misleading fact-check notices and the deletion of an \u201cincorrect opinion\u201d by Facebook\u2019s \u201cfact-checkers.\u201d International coverage by the BBC (\u201cthe lawyer who takes on Facebook over free speech\u201d), Newsweek, Al Jazeera, NZZ, Weltwoche, and the Jerusalem Post (\u201cfreedom of press expert\u201d) underscored the global relevance of cases others considered unwinnable.<\/p>

Equally clear is his record in defending free expression and press freedom against state overreach. In 2019, he compelled a Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office to unblock a Jerusalem Post reporter on (then) Twitter. In 2024, another unique series followed: sixteen proceedings against the German federal government, sixteen victories, including a major success before the Federal Constitutional Court. This pattern points to either extraordinary luck or extraordinary ability. Steinh\u00f6fel has repeatedly testified as an expert before the Bundestag's Legal Affairs Committee, criticizing the Network Enforcement Act and addressing a misguided amendment to unfair competition law. He has also appeared before the Human Rights Committee on freedoms in the digital age. His expertise is sought from the Bundestag to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of State.<\/p>

In German media, Steinh\u00f6fel is ubiquitous: regular appearances on WELT, columns in BILD, op-eds in Euronews, and coverage across all major outlets. He shows up when precedents are being created, not merely cited.<\/p>

His nonfiction book Die digitale Bevormundung (\u201cDigital Paternalism\u201d), published in May 2024, reached #1 on the BILD and Der Spiegel bestseller lists. It describes and criticizes how major platforms - and increasingly the state - intervene in the fundamental right to freedom of expression. Critics have called it essential reading. The book makes the point clearly: legal boldness, creativity, and precision do not merely produce courtroom wins, they lay the groundwork for defending constitutional rights against overreaching opponents who only appear all-powerful.<\/p>

Steinh\u00f6fel\u2019s practice combines successful litigation with public impact, a rare pairing: decades of courtroom experience against the most powerful adversaries, whether governments or Silicon Valley giants, coupled with the media sophistication to shape broader discourse. Cases are selected for their constitutional significance, not for convenience. This approach appeals to clients who value resolve and understand that certain battles must be fought, regardless of an opponent's resources.<\/p>

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

The final word should go to Henryk M. Broder, with a quote from his foreword to Die digitale Bevormundung:<\/p>

\u201cSteinh\u00f6fel is outstanding in his command of language and his quick wit; he is formidable in his expertise and overwhelming in how 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 proceeding. He rarely loses.\u201d<\/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 Steinh\u00f6fel, born in Hamburg, is one of Germany\u2019s most renowned lawyers specializing in media and competition law. His litigation work has made a significant contribution to the liberalization of German competition law. As early as 2004, the German business newspaper *Handelsblatt* noted: \u201cHe has litigated nearly 200 cases up to the Federal Court of Justice, winning about 70 percent of them.\u201d He secured landmark rulings on \u201cfreedom of expression on the internet\u201d and, according to media reports, is \u201cone of Germany\u2019s most distinguished legal experts.\u201d<\/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 related to digital communication, particularly in connection with social media publications and platform-related disputes.<\/p>

Vor seinem Wechsel war er mehrere Jahre in einer internationalen Wirtschaftskanzlei in Frankfurt t\u00e4tig; im Rahmen eines Secondments arbeitete er zeitweise in der Rechtsabteilung von X (Twitter). Sein Master of Laws (LL.M.) erwarb er an der Stellenbosch University in S\u00fcdafrika.<\/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\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

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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

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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

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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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\n\t\tAnd always leading the charge: attorney Joachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel, whose law firm fires with every legal weapon the law provides.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\n\t\tFrankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, 05.11.2006\t<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n
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Joachim Nikolaus Steinh\u00f6fel z\u00e4hlt zu den profiliertesten deutschen Juristen mit ausgewiesener Expertise im Lauterkeitsrecht, Medienrecht und als Verfechter 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":116,"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5269,"href":"https:\/\/www.steinhoefel.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4481\/revisions\/5269"}],"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}]}}