General Counsel

Biography

Frederica Jacobs is an attorney who was appointed General Counsel at Concordia University in December 2008. Reporting to the Vice-President, Institutional Relations and Secretary-General, she is responsible for the University’s legal affairs and in particular, the overall operations of the Office of the General Counsel, overseeing all major legal dossiers, ensuring that the University’s various constituencies receive practical and efficient legal advice, managing the Office of the Student Tribunals as well as developing and maintaining effective relationships with counterparts across the higher education network in Quebec and Canada.

For the nineteen years prior to her appointment, Frederica was a member of the law firm De Grandpré Chait (formerly Chait Amyot) and a partner with that firm since 1999. In that position, Frederica’s practice was focused on real estate and corporate matters with an emphasis on the higher education sector. Frederica joined Concordia with extensive knowledge of the University, having served as external counsel to Concordia on many dossiers for over a decade.

Frederica is presently a member of the Board of Camp Kinneret-Biluim. She is a former member of the Executive of the Quebec Division of the Canadian Bar Association (real estate division) and the Board of PROCEID (Promoting the Rights of Citizens Experiencing an Intellectual Disability). She created and organized the Canadian Cancer fundraiser - ‘Inch by Inch’ and earlier in her career, provided pro bono work for Starlight Foundation.

Frederica is married to Michael Savelson and they have two children.