Biography: Trade & Customs

Todd J Friedbacher is a partner in Sidley's Geneva office and a member of the international trade and arbitration group. He counsels and represents governments and private parties on international trade and regulatory issues arising under the WTO agreements, as well as under regional and bilateral trade agreements. He also advises on US and EU import, export and foreign investment laws.

In 2000, after six years with the firm's international trade and arbitration group in Washington, DC, Mr Friedbacher opened the Geneva office. From Geneva, Mr Friedbacher has represented governments and commercial stakeholders as an adviser and member of delegation in proceedings before WTO panels, arbitrators and the Appellate Body, in all phases of WTO dispute settlement. He has represented clients in more than 30 WTO disputes, involving 50 distinct proceedings covering WTO rules on trade in goods, trade in services, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property, government procurement, agriculture, customs valuation, anti-dumping and subsidies.

Mr Friedbacher also assists governments and commercial stakeholders in identifying and addressing strategic goals in the WTO's Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations taking place in Geneva, and provides advice and support to stakeholders in WTO accession negotiations. In addition to WTO negotiations, Mr Friedbacher advises governments and private interests in the negotiation of bilateral and regional trade agreements. Finally, he has also represented clients before arbitral tribunals and the US courts.

Previously, Mr Friedbacher worked in Brussels for the European Commission, directorate-general for competition, in connection with international antitrust matters. He also completed a clerkship with the Court of Justice of the European Communities (now the General Court) in Luxembourg.

Mr Friedbacher received his LLM from the Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven in 1995, his JD from Harvard Law School in 1994, and his BA from the University of Wisconsin in 1990. He is admitted in the District of Columbia and Wisconsin.