Meet Our Speakers

Liisa Thomas is a Chambers-ranked authority in privacy and cybersecurity law, serving as a go-to advisor for in-house counsel and C-suite executives at Fortune 500, multinational, and global companies. Based in Chicago and London, she brings a practical, business-focused, and cross-cultural approach to advising clients on privacy, cybersecurity, digital advertising and compliance law. She is co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Privacy and Cybersecurity team.

Liisa is known for translating complex legal requirements—such as GDPR, CCPA, BIPA, TCPA, and cross-border data transfer issues—into actionable strategies that protect enterprise value and manage risk. Having lived both in the United States, as well as Europe and the Middle East, and with an advanced degree in organizational change, Liisa is highly skilled in both translating business needs and cultures across borders and coordinating efforts across continents. Clients value her help in their efforts to protect data, assure compliance with all applicable regulations, and advance business goals.

A sought-after keynote speaker and panelist, Liisa presents at leading privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance conferences, as well as executive forums and legal seminars. She is recognized for delivering engaging, insightful presentations on emerging privacy regulations and best practices. Liisa is trainer for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University Law School, where she helps train the next generation of privacy professionals.

Liisa has authored two treatises with Westlaw (a division of Thomson Reuters), “”Thomas on Data Breach: A Practical Guide to Handling Worldwide Data Breach Notification”” and “”Thomas on Big Data: A Practical Guide to Global Privacy Laws,”” both recognized as no-nonsense roadmaps for in-house and legal practitioners. As the editor of the firm’s Eye on Privacy blog, Liisa works with her team to provide timely updates and practical guidance on global privacy, cybersecurity, digital advertising, compliance and regulatory developments.