Biography • Competition

Dr Joachim Pfeffer is a member of Freshfields' antitrust, competition and trade group, based in the Cologne office. He specialises in German and European competition and antitrust law. He has been a partner since 1983.

Joachim's practice focuses on merger control and joint ventures, cartel regulation and investigations, and distribution law including contract drafting, with a particular focus on the automotive sector. He has many years' experience of dealing with the EU and national competition authorities as well as representing clients in litigation proceedings. Joachim has acted as counsel to party or as member of the arbitration tribunal in numerous international and national arbitration proceedings.

His recent work includes: advising several automotive companies in structuring and operating their distribution networks; advising the Swiss Frey Group in the sale of its stake in the French and German Hyundai import companies to Hyundai Motor Germany; advising Primagas in a cartel investigation of the Bundeskartellamt; and advising Pfeifer & Langen in a cartel investigation of the Bundeskartellamt in the sugar industry.

He was educated at the universities of Mainz, Göttingen and London. He has published a number of articles on German and European competition law and is a regular speaker at seminars. He is a lecturer in the mergers and acquisitions study course at the University of Münster.

Joachim joined the firm in 1978 and speaks German, English and Russian.

Freshfields' antitrust competition and trade practice comprises more than 50 partners and 260 specialists based in Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the UK and the US. Our coverage of Asia, Europe and the US enables us to advise our clients in competition cases involving many jurisdictions around the world.