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                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1

                   [Letterhead of Lionel Sawyer & Collins LLP]

                                  May 26, 2000

JAWS Technologies, Inc.
1013 17th Avenue SW
Calgary T2T 087
Alberta, Canada

                  Re:      JAWS Technologies, Inc.
                           Registration Statement on Form S-1

Gentlemen:

                  We have acted as counsel for JAWS Technologies, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the preparation of the
registration statement on Form S-1, and any amendments thereto (the
"Registration Statement"), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), for the
registration under the Securities Act for resale of (i) 3,935,597 shares of
common stock, par value $.001 per share, of the Company (the "Common Stock"),
and (ii) 3,369,592 shares of Common Stock issuable by the Company upon
conversion of certain warrants (the "Warrants") by certain of the selling
stockholders named in the Registration Statement. In addition, the Registration
Statement was prepared for registration under the Securities Act for resale of
5,562,788 shares of Common Stock issuable by the Company upon exchange of
exchangeable shares (the "JAC Shares") of the Company's subsidiary, JAWS
Acquisition Corp., an Alberta corporation ("JAC"), that were issued to former
shareholders and warrantholders of Offsite Data Systems Ltd. ("Offsite") upon
the Company's acquisition of Offsite. Capitalized terms used and not defined in
this opinion have the meanings ascribed to them in the Registration Statement.

                  In rendering this opinion, we have relied upon, among other
things, our examination of such records of the Company, including without
limitation, the Company's Articles of Incorporation, and amendments thereto, and
the Company's Bylaws as we have deemed necessary for the purpose of the opinion
expressed below.

                  In addition, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures
and the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the
conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified
or photostatic copies. As to various questions of fact material to this opinion,
we have relied, to the extent we deem reasonably appropriate, upon
representations or certificates of officers or directors of the Company and upon
documents, records and instruments furnished to us by the Company, without
independently checking or verifying the accuracy of such documents, records and
instruments furnished to us by the Company.

                  We are not admitted to the practice of law in any jurisdiction
but the State of Nevada, and we do not express any opinion as to the laws of
other states or jurisdictions other than the General Corporation Law of the
State of Nevada and the federal law of the United States. No opinion is
expressed as to the effect that the law of any other jurisdiction may have upon
the subject matter of the opinion expressed herein under conflicts of law
principles, rules and regulations or otherwise.

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                  Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:

                  1. the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation which are
currently issued and outstanding have been validly issued and are fully paid and
nonassessable;

                  2. the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation which are
issuable upon exercise of the Warrants will, when issued in accordance with the
Warrants, be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable; and

                  3. the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation which are
issuable upon exchange of the JAC Shares will, when issued in accordance with
the JAC Shares, be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

                  We consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities
and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the
use of our name under the caption "Legal Matters" included therein. In giving
this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose
consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

                                              Very truly yours,

                                              /s/ Lionel Sawyer & Collins LLP
                                              LIONEL SAWYER & COLLINS LLP