TODD FRIEDBACHER helps clients manage the risk of doing business across borders by leveraging the powerful market access and enforcement tools provided by the World Trade Organization (WTO) treaty and the hundreds of other bilateral and regional trade agreements in place worldwide. Putting these tools to work, Todd has helped clients successfully address critical trade and regulatory barriers impacting their ability to move, sell and protect goods, services and intellectual property across borders.
Todd co-founded the firm’s Geneva office in 2002, and serves both as the Managing Partner of the office and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a recognized leader in international trade and WTO law, having represented clients in more than 55 WTO disputes, involving more than 90 distinct WTO dispute settlement proceedings in his 25 years of practice. In that role, he has represented commercial stakeholders and governments, complainants, respondents and third parties in all phases of WTO dispute settlement, including pre-dispute consultations and formulation of litigation strategies, original and compliance proceedings before WTO panels and the Appellate Body, and retaliation proceedings before WTO arbitrators. His experience spans disputes under virtually all of the WTO agreements, concerning cross-border trade in goods and services, tax and regulatory measures, intellectual property, government procurement, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, agriculture, customs valuation, anti-dumping and subsidies.
In addition to representing clients in dispute settlement, Todd has also assisted governments and commercial stakeholders in high-stakes negotiations on changes to international trade and investment rules. He provides advice and support to stakeholders in WTO accession negotiations, as well as in the negotiation of bilateral and regional trade agreements. Todd assists clients in identifying and addressing strategic goals in the ongoing TPP and TTIP negotiations, as well as the WTO’s Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations.
In 2022, Todd was selected by a panel of experienced international judges and academics for inclusion on the European Commission’s list of candidates for appointment as chairperson for disputes arising under EU bilateral trade agreements.
Before joining Sidley, Todd worked in Brussels for the European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition, on international antitrust matters. He also completed a clerkship with the Court of Justice of the European Communities (now the General Court) in Luxembourg.
Todd’s leadership and experience in the World Trade Organization and international trade arena is widely recognized. Todd is ranked in Band 1 for International Trade/WTO by Chambers Europe-wide and Chambers Global 2024, 2023 and 2022. Todd has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Switzerland guide 2022 for Trade law. In 2020, Lexology honored Todd with its 2020 “Client Choice Award.” He has been named a 2019 Trade Law “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in Switzerland, and is recognized again in the 2020 edition. Todd was also named a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in the 2020 and 2021 editions of Who’s Who Legal, as well as a “Thought Leader” and a “Most Highly Regarded Individual” in the 2022 edition of Who’s Who Legal Switzerland. He features prominently in the international trade and WTO rankings of many legal publications, where he consistently receives the highest client praise. For example:
- "Todd has been a spectacular resource for us. He is navigating through a generally challenging trade period right now and has been a trusted adviser through the process." (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2024: International Trade/WTO)
- “Based in Geneva, Todd Friedbacher is highly reputed for his extensive experience in WTO litigation.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2023: International Trade/WTO)
- “Todd Friedbacher is a highly regarded ‘litigation strategist’ who impresses market sources with his experience in WTO disputes and cross-border regulatory matters.” (Who’s Who Legal 2022: Most Highly Regarded: Trade and Customs)
- A client appreciates his ability to “pass messages clearly and diplomatically, and knows the details.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2022: International Trade/WTO)
- “The ‘excellent’ Todd Friedbacher is highly reputed for his extensive experience in WTO litigation. He acts for manufacturers and companies devising strategies and on disputes brought to the WTO relating to customs valuation, regulatory measures and tariffs.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2021: Europe-wide, International Trade/WTO)
- “Todd Friedbacher is an ‘excellent WTO practitioner’ and ‘master communicator’ who ‘excels in getting his point across.’” (Who’s Who Legal 2021: Trade and Customs)
- “The ‘first-rate’ Todd Friedbacher is renowned for his deep expertise in WTO market access matters and assisting large-scale clients navigate complex regulatory demands.” (Who’s Who Legal 2020: Trade and Customs)
- “Highlighting Todd Friedbacher’s skill in ‘mediating between the parties’ in trade disputes and his ability to ‘transfer clients’ requests into practical documents.” (Chambers Europe 2020)
- “Todd Friedbacher is ‘an excellent and talented lawyer’, applaud sources who praise the ‘foresight and strategic advice’ he provides to clients.” (Who’s Who Legal 2019: Trade and Customs)
- “Todd Friedbacher ‘encapsulates exactly what is really special about Sidley Austin's international trade practice,’ according to one client, who adds: ‘I have never seen anyone mould strategy with legal excellence the way he does.’” (Chambers Europe 2018)
- “He is intellectually brilliant and always a pleasure to work with.” (Who’s Who Legal 2018: Trade and Customs)