Lisa R. Lifshitz ^*

A partner in Torkin Manes’ Corporate/Commercial Group, Lisa practises exclusively in the areas of technology (including artificial intelligence), 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 cloud computing/managed services agreements, mobile payment/fintech agreements, digital agreements and reseller, distribution, system acquisition, development, and master services agreements. She represents both vendors and users of technology and excels at negotiating large and complex technology transactions. Lisa’s clients range from the private sector to the public sector, including federal/provincial governments. She has extensive procurement expertise and assists public and private sector clients prepare and negotiate their legal documentation while ensuring regulatory compliance.  Lisa has an extensive cross-border practice, as well as considerable experience helping non-Canadian companies enter and thrive in the Canadian marketplace.

As Co-Chair of Torkin Manes’ AI & Innovation Group, Lisa assists Canadian and international clients in procuring and deploying AI technologies and systems within their organizations.  She has extensive experience negotiating AI systems and technology contracts as well as crafting AI policies and providing advice on AI governance and risk management issues.

Lisa is also the immediate past Chair of Torkin Manes’ Privacy, Data & Cybersecurity Group and her practice encompasses all aspects of privacy, data and cybersecurity, including advising 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, crafting and negotiating data processing addenda, cybersecurity policies, breach coaching and remediation, privacy compliance in corporate transactions and negotiations, and privacy considerations in technology transactions. She also advises on complying with Canada’s anti-spam legislation.

Clients have praised Lisa’s strong client service, her commercial sophistication, responsiveness, deep subject matter knowledge and excellent negotiation skills. She possesses strong business acumen and is very attuned to commercial needs and current trends. While thorough and detail-oriented, she is very practical and focussed on achieving balanced and timely results.

A sought-after thought leader, Lisa has presented and written extensively within the field of technology and privacy law. She has been and is a frequent contributor to Business Law Today, Canadian Lawyer, 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 (ABA). She has recently contributed to the Law of Digital Content (published by the ABA in July 2025) and the Director's Technology Handbook: Tips and Strategies for Advising Corporate Directors (published by the ABA in May 2021).

Lisa has earned numerous elite accolades and rankings by all the preeminent legal directories as a leading lawyer in Canada and internationally. She was ranked as “Band 2” in the area of Information Technology and “Band 4” for Privacy & Data Protection in Chambers Canada 2026 and has consistently been ranked in Chambers Global. The Best Lawyers in Canada© recently named Lisa as “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Information Technology, as well as listing her in the areas of Information Technology Law, Privacy and Data Security Law and Technology Law. She is also ranked in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a “Consistently Recommended” lawyer in Computer & IT Law, “Consistently Recommended” in Data Protection & Privacy and “Most Frequently Recommended” lawyer in Technology Transactions. She is also listed as “Most Frequently Recommended” in Computer & IT Law in Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada 2026 and in Information Technology Law in Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada 2026 (formerly the Lexpert/ALM 500) and was included as a Lexpert-ranked lawyer in the 2026 Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Technology Lawyers. Amongst her numerous other accolades, Lexology Index (formerly 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. Lexology Index honoured Lisa as the sole recipient of the 2025 and 2026 Client Choice Award in the area of Data in Ontario.

Lisa is the incoming Vice Chair of the Business Law Section (BLS) of the ABA and Editor-in-Chief of the Business Lawyer publication, the BLS’ premier academic journal. She is the Co-Chair of the BLS’ AI & Robotics Subcommittee, Cyber and Technology Law Committee and a member of the ABA’s Cybersecurity Legal Task Force and the Editorial Board of the SciTech Lawyer publication. She co-chaired the International Technology Law Association’s 2025 World Technology Law Conference in San Diego. She is a past Director and President of the Canadian Technology Law Association and is currently the Co-Chair of its Privacy and Cybersecurity Committee.