Lisa Borsook is one of the most recommended commercial leasing and infrastructure lawyers in the country, widely recognized for her knowledge, experience and commitment to her clients and the profession.

She is currently the executive partner of WeirFoulds LLP and was the firm’s managing partner from 2007 to 2012. She is also currently co-chair of the Commercial Leasing Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Corporate Group and Women Lawyers Group.

For more than 25 years Lisa has used her extensive management, legal and business experience to run her successful and vibrant practice that includes a vast array of clients, both large and small, local, regional, national and international, as well as numerous governments and government agencies, in connection with their infrastructure, retail, industrial, office and brownfields properties. Lisa is well-known to her clients for her strategic focus, exceptional problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial business sense and management skills that build trust, harmony and consensus. In recognition of her work Lisa has received numerous awards. From 2013 to 2016, she was selected as one of Women’s Executive Network’s (WXN) Top 100: Most Powerful Women in Canada and in 2016 was inducted into its Hall of Fame. Also in 2016, Lisa received the Laura Legge Award from the Law Society of Upper Canada in recognition of her contributions to women in the profession and in 2017 was honoured by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) for Excellence in Law. In addition, Lisa received the ICRF Women of Action award, recognizing extraordinary achievements in business in 2012 and the Zenith Award in recognition of her accomplishments as a leading business lawyer and a leading woman in the business of law in 2009. She has been repeatedly recognized as at the top of her fields by her peers and in a large variety of directories and ranking bodies including Best Lawyers in Canada, Lexpert, Legal 500, and as the recipient of the OBA Award of Excellence in Real Estate in 2015.

Lisa works diligently in support of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. As one of the first women managing partners of a major law firm, Lisa fought to bring issues concerning women in the workplace to the forefront in her work and continues to be a champion of these causes both in the legal and business marketplace. She was a member of the Equity Advisory Group of the Law Society of Ontario and the Steering Committee for the Law Society’s Retention of Women in Private Practice Working Group in connection with the Justicia Project. As an active member of the International Women’s Forum, in 2019 Lisa co-chaired their national convention convened in Toronto. In addition to this, she regularly speaks on the topic of diversity and inclusion, for the Law Society, the Canadian Bar Association and numerous other organizations. Recognizing the importance of helping young professionals grow and achieve success, Lisa has been a mentor for a number of years with various organizations including WXN and NAIOP and was also an advisory board member for the Young Women in Law organization.  Lisa also represented the firm as part of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network.

Lisa is an ICD.D certified board candidate and a member of the Canadian Board Diversity Council’s 2016 Diversity 50 — Canada’s Most Diverse Board Candidates. She serves on the board of the Sunnybrook Foundation, which supports the advancement of this world-class health sciences centre through active fundraising in support of research, education and equipment initiatives.  She served on the board of the Women’s Brain Health Initiative, a charitable foundation devoted to funding research into brain related issues affecting women for 6 years. She is also currently a board member for SCG Legal, an international organization of law firms, of which the firm is also a member. For SCG Legal, in addition to her board work, she chairs the Women in Law Taskforce and recently chaired its annual meeting here in Toronto. Lisa has also served on the advisory council for the Ted Rogers School of Management at Metropolitan University.

The negotiation and completion of commercial leases for a variety of local and national landlords and tenants, including mixed use developments, ground leases, and retail, industrial and office leases.

The development of Filmport in the Portlands on behalf of the City of Toronto Economic Development Corporation (Toronto Port Lands Company).

The negotiation of ground lease, office and retail arrangements on behalf of the Liquor Board of Ontario.

  • Repeatedly recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a leading practitioner in Property Leasing
  • Repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading practitioner in Commercial Leasing Law and Real Estate Law (2008-2022)
  • Recognized in Lexpert Guide to US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada (2012 -2022)
  • Acritas Stars: Independently Rated Lawyers; Nominated as a stand-out lawyer by senior in-house counsel (2018)
  • Repeatedly recognized in Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (2011 – 2022)
  • Canadian Civil Liberties Association – Excellence in the Law (2017)
  • Inducted into the Women’s Executive Network’s (WXN) Top 100 Hall of Fame (2016)
  • Listed in the Canadian Board Diversity Council’s (CBDC) 2016 Diversity 50 – Canada’s Most Diverse Board Candidates (2016)
  • WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner in the RBC Champion Category (2014-2016)
  • Recognized in the Lexpert Directory Special Edition – Infrastructure (2015-2022)
  • Laura Legge Award. The Laura Legge Award recognizes women lawyers from Ontario who have exemplified leadership within the profession (2016)
  • Award of Excellence in Real Estate – Ontario Bar Association (2015)
  • WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner in the KPMG Professionals Category (2013)
  • ICRF Women of Action award, recognizing extraordinary achievements in business (2012)
  • Lexpert Zenith Award recipient; recognizing her accomplishments as a leading woman business lawyer and a leading woman lawyer in the business of law (2009)
Called to the Bar
  • Ontario (1982)

Education
  • LL.B., University of Toronto, 1980
Affiliations
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • International Council of Shopping Centres
  • Women's Law Association
  • Women in Capital Markets

Community Involvement

Lisa is the mother of two children.

Lisa works and has worked with a number of charities, including the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation, The Women’s Brain Health Initiatives, the Sick Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Negev dinners, the Koffler Centre for the Performing Arts, Azrieli Foundation’s Dinner of Miracles and ICRF, United Jewish Appeal and the Friends of Simon Weisenthal.

Corporate Directorship

Lisa is the current Executive Partner of WeirFoulds LLP.

Lisa is the current co-chairperson of the Commercial Leasing Practice at WeirFoulds LLP.

Lisa is a current member of the Women’s Lawyer Group and Corporate Team at WeirFoulds LLP.

Lisa is a current board member of the Sunnybrook Foundation and is a member of its executive committee and its nomination and governance committee.

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, ICSC, “Co-Tenancies”, Toronto, ON September 2022
Moderator, SCG Legal Conference, In-House Counsel Panel, September, 2022
Moderator, SCG Legal Conference, “The World Ahead: an Economic Review” September 2022
Speaker, "Is Retail Transforming From The Impact of The Pandemic? How Are Landlords & Retailers Evaluating The Path Forward?", RealCapital Conference, Toronto, ON, March 1 , 2022
Facilitator, "Emerging from the Pandemic", SCG Legal, Online, Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Panelist, “The Legal Considerations in the Wake of Covid-19: What New Clauses and Considerations Are Now Required?", Land and Development Conference - Canadian Real Estate Forums, Online, June 8 and 9, 2021
Facilitator, "10 Steps to Beating Burnout While Working Remotely: A Fireside Chat with Internet Marketer Morra Aarons-Mele", SCG Legal, Online, March 9, 2021
Speaker, "Retail is Being Battered and Bruised During COVID-19: How are Landlords & Retailers Surviving the Impacts?", RealCapital Conference, Online, February 24, 2021
Panelist, "Commercial Leasing Outlook 2021: Ask An Expert", WeirFoulds, Online, January 28, 2021
Facilitator, "For Women in Law: A Conversation for Building Resiliency as a Foundation for Perseverance", SCG Legal, Online, November 18, 2020

Legend: GeneralLitigationPropertyCorporateGovernment

Legend: GeneralLitigationPropertyCorporateGovernment

Legend: GeneralLitigationPropertyCorporateGovernment

Papers

  • “Cotenancies and the Doctrine of Good Faith”, ICSC 2022
  • “Senior Partner Buy In for Women’s Initiatives”, 3rd Women and Leadership in the Legal Profession Conference, November 2015
  • “Practice Gems: Commercial Leasing, Mixed-Use Developments”, LSUC, September 2015

Books

  • “Remedies for Breach of Covenant”, 2nd Edition of Landlord’s Rights and Remedies in a Commercial Lease: A Practical Guide (2015)
  • Author of chapter entitled “Exclusive Clauses” in Tenant’s Rights and Remedies in a Commercial Lease: A Practical Guide, editor Harvey M. Haber (Toronto: Canada Law Book, 1998)
  • Author of chapter entitled “Good Faith and Fairness in Commercial Leasing” in Shopping Centre Leases (2nd ed.), editor Harvey M. Haber (Toronto: Canada Law Book, 2008)