Liisa Thomas

Practice Areas

Liisa Thomas, a partner based in Sheppard Mullin's Chicago and London offices, is Leader of the firm's Privacy and Cybersecurity Team and Office Managing Partner of the firm's Chicago office.

Liisa's clients rely on her ability to provide clarity in a sea of confusing legal requirements and describe her as "extremely responsive, while providing thoughtful legal analysis combined with real world practical advice." She is the author of two treatises: Thomas on Data Breach: A Practical Guide to Handling Worldwide Data Breach Notification, which has been described as "a no-nonsense roadmap for in-house and external practitioners alike;" and Thomas on Big Data, praised for being a "comprehensive and detailed analysis of the complex and rapidly changing world of privacy law."

Liisa is known as an industry leader in the privacy and data security space and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Leading Lawyers Network, Chambers and The Legal 500, as well as noted by leading publications and organizations for her "broad depth of privacy knowledge." Among other honors, she was named Lawyer of the Year – Privacy and Data Security 2022 by Best Lawyers; to Cybersecurity Docket's "Incident Response 30," honoring 30 incident response professionals critical to managing data breaches, in both 2016 and 2018; recognized as the 2017 "Data Protection Lawyer of the Year - USA" by Global 100; honored as the 2017 "U.S. Data Protection Lawyer of the Year" by Finance Monthly; and the recipient of the "Best in Data Security Law Services" at Corporate LiveWire’s 2017 Global Awards.

Liisa, who was born in Finland and previously lived in France, Egypt and Spain, frequently coordinates global efforts in the privacy area for her clients. Clients value her global insights and familiarity with business systems outside of the U.S. With Liisa’s assistance, her clients – which include major consumer brands, advertising agencies and consumer research companies – are able to navigate thorny data breach disclosure issues, use emerging interactive advertising techniques and create compliant security programs, all while effectively managing their legal risks. Clients praise Liisa’s ability to add real value to their businesses, and describe her as "keeping [clients] one step ahead of where [they] need to be."

Liisa is an active advocate of women and minorities in the legal industry and was honored for her leadership in the legal field by the Illinois Diversity Council. She is currently an adjunct professor in Northwestern University Law School where she is the recipient of the Edward Avery Harriman Law School Lectureship. She formerly taught privacy courses at several other Chicago-area law schools, including her alma mater, the University of Chicago. Liisa is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chair of the CSO’s Negaunee Music Institute Board and plays violin in the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra made up of lawyers and judges.

Professional Memberships

Training Advisory Board, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

Chair, Negaunee Music Institute Board, CSO

Subcommittee Chair, INTA Building Bridges Committee, International Trademark Association

Member, International Association of Privacy Professionals

Member, Women’s Foodservice Forum

Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University School of Law

Member, Leading Lawyers Network

Violinist, Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra