Mr Tom Vapaavuori > Bird & Bird > Helsinki, Finland > Lawyer Profile
Bird & Bird Offices
MANNERHEIMINTIE 8
00100 HELSINKI
Finland
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Mr Tom Vapaavuori
Work Department
Dispute Resolution
Position
Tom Vapaavuori is a partner in Bird & Bird’s Helsinki office and the Head of our Finnish Dispute Resolution group as well as the co-head of our international Trade Secret group. He has a lot of experience in demanding litigations and arbitrations and trade secret matters.
Tom works with a broad range of company litigations, arbitrations and white collar crimes. He also acts as an arbitrator, as nominated by parties in disputes, or by the arbitration institutes. He advises his leading domestic and international clients on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious matters in several sectors.
In addition to dispute resolution he is especially active in contractual matters such as distribution, purchase and sale, co-operation, joint ventures, leasing, employment, intellectual property, IT and non-disclosure agreements.
Career
From the beginning of this millennium, Tom has specialised in matters related to trade secret protection. He is the author of ‘Trade Secrets and Non Disclosure Agreements’, Finland’s only legal handbook on the subject. A new, totally updated third edition of the handbook came out in 2019.
In trade secret matters Tom has worked as a member of a task force preparing Finland first trade secret law, and as a member of the ICC’s Task Force on Confidentiality Agreements, which created an international Model Confidentiality Agreement. He has also advised multiple companies in trade secret matters and represented clients in court in trade secret violation cases.
Tom has written many articles and he regularly lectures at legal seminars on dispute resolution, trade secrets and contract law.
Languages
Finnish, English, Swedish
Memberships
Member of the Finnish Bar Association
Member of the Finnish Industrial Property Rights Association
Member of the Finnish Association for Arbitration
Education
LL.M., University of Helsinki 1993
Lawyer Rankings
Finland > Dispute resolution
Bird & Bird is proficient in representing clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings related to white-collar crime, competing activities and corporate malpractice, focusing on the construction, real estate and transport sectors. Tom Vapaavuori, who is known for his trade secrets expertise, co-heads the practice alongside Mikko Rajala, the go-to person for commercial dispute resolution and real estate matters. Ville Kivistö is highly skilled in anti-corruption compliance and criminal court proceedings.
Finland > Intellectual property
Bird & Bird boasts expertise in trademark prosecution, cross-border IP investigations, unfair business practice disputes, and transactional IP matters. The firm’s client base spans a range of industries, including technical wholesalers, beverage conglomerates, and personal protective equipment companies. The team handles trademark and patent-related matters across multiple jurisdictions, focusing on tech start-ups and mid-size companies in the life sciences, retail, healthcare, and media sectors. Practice head Henri Kaikkonen is an expert in patents, trade secrets, and unfair business practices, with a wealth of experience in IP licensing agreements. Tom Vapaavuori is a standout trade secret litigator.