Lisa R. Lifshitz

Practice Areas

A partner in Torkin Manes’ Corporate/Commercial Group, Lisa practises exclusively in the areas of technology, privacy and cybersecurity law.

As Chair of the firm’s Technology Group, Lisa has extensive expertise in preparing and negotiating a wide range of technology agreements, including Internet-related, m-commerce and e-commerce agreements, cloud computing agreements, mobile payment/fintech agreements, and reseller, distribution, system acquisition, development, and master services agreements. Lisa’s practice also includes the acquisition of artificial intelligence products/systems and blockchain technologies. She represents both vendors and users of technology and excels at negotiating large and complex technology transactions and procurements. Lisa’s clients range from the private sector to the public sector, including federal/provincial governments. She also has an extensive cross-border practice, as well as considerable experience helping non-Canadian companies, especially American entities, enter and thrive in the Canadian marketplace.

Lisa is the Chair of Torkin Manes’ Privacy & Data Management Group, where she advises Canadian and international clients on compliance with Canadian privacy and cybersecurity requirements. She routinely provides clients with advice on trans-border data transfers, inter-company privacy arrangements, breach coaching, privacy compliance in corporate transactions and negotiations, and privacy considerations in technology transactions. She also advises on complying with Canada’s anti-spam legislation.

A sought-after thought leader, Lisa has presented and written extensively within the field of technology and privacy law. She is a frequent contributor to Canadian Lawyer, Business Law Today, the SciTech Lawyer and was also the co-editor and a contributor to Cloud 3.0: Drafting and Negotiating Cloud Computing Agreements, published in May 2019 by the American Bar Association. She has recently contributed to the Director's Technology Handbook: Tips and Strategies for Advising Corporate Directors (published by the American Bar Association in May 2021).

Lisa has earned numerous elite accolades and rankings by all of the preeminent legal directories as a leading lawyer in Canada and internationally, including Chambers Global and Chambers Canada in the areas of Information Technology and Privacy & Data Protection, The Best Lawyers In Canada© in the areas of Information Technology Law, Privacy and Data Security Law, Technology Law, and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as “Most Frequently Recommended” lawyer in Computer & IT Law and “Consistently Recommended” lawyer in Technology Transactions. Amongst her numerous other accolades, Who’s Who Legal has repeatedly named Lisa a Global Elite Thought Leader in Data – Data Privacy & Protection, Data Security, Information Technology, as well as a leading lawyer in Telecommunications, Media & Technology Law, and Data Privacy and Protection.

Currently, Lisa is the Content Officer and Chair of the Content Board of the Business Law Section (BLS) of the American Bar Association (ABA) and is the Co-Chair of the BLS’ Robotics and AI Subcommittee, Cyberspace Committee. She is also a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Technology and Information Systems. Lisa is a Director of the Canadian Technology Law Association and the Co-Chair of its Privacy and Cybersecurity Committee and is a past President of the Association. Lisa is also a Director, Crossroads International, a member of its Executive Committee and the Chair of its Risk Committee.