Sten Tikerpe

Legal Counsel, Attorney-at-law | Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E)
Head of IT and Cybersecurity and Data Protection

+372 610 8033
+372 5330 7302
sten.tikerpe@nove.ee

Expertise
IT and Cybersecurity
Data protection
Relations with State, Policy Development, Research
Dispute Resolution
Intellectual Property
Construction, Design and Real Estate

 

Sten leads our IT and Cybersecurity practice area and advises NOVE’s clients on technology law, data protection and intellectual property issues. Sten also has extensive experience in construction and real estate law, which includes drafting of contracts as well as preventing and resolving disputes both in pre-trial stages and in court proceedings. Sten has represented various transaction parties in vast and technically complex proceedings, including legal disputes related to hidden defects.

Sten has worked in legal positions related to IT and cyber security since 2015. Just before joining NOVE, he was Head of IT Law at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. Together with his team, Sten was responsible for legislative drafting and counselling related to the development of the state information system, innovative technologies and national IT developments. Sten has advocated for the development of an innovation-friendly judicial area and the interests of Estonian undertakings both at a national level and at the level of EU working groups. During his time counselling IT developments, he has consistently considered it important to ensure that legal requirements are taken into account throughout the development lifecycle, from planning to development and administration.

Previously, Sten has also worked in the crisis control department of the Ministry of the Interior, where he specialised in negotiations with market participants on telecommunications and electronic identity and the development of requirements for related critical services. Sten has also worked at Law Office Sorainen, where he focused on competition and technology law.

In addition to legal education and in order to better understand the needs of customers throughout the software development and administration lifecycle, Sten has also decided to further his technological education by undertaking MA studies in the Analysis and Design of Information Systems at Tallinn University of Technology. This knowledge has given him the ability to discuss specific issues not only with lawyers, but also directly with project managers, product owners and developers. In addition to his day job, Sten has also had the opportunity to practice law and negotiation skills at hackathons organised by Garage48 where he has assisted teams as a legal mentor.

Since 2018, Sten has been supervising students’ research papers within the framework of the University of Tartu’s MA programme on IT Law. Sten is also a member of the programme council for the curriculum on IT law, which is responsible for advising the programme director on preparing the curriculum. His role is to represent the expectations of the professional labour market.

In addition to his studies at the University of Tartu, Sten practiced at the Ministry of Justice, Law Office Sorainen and Law Office Jesse & Kalaus. Furthermore, during his studies, he was actively involved in the activities of the European Law Students’ Union and participated in the moot court competitions of the European Union where he and the University of Tartu team reached the regional final held in Paris.