Lawrence W. Donald, LL.B, C.Arb.

Lawrence founded Donald Legal Services in 1994. He is a graduate of the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Law and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1979.

Lawrence carries on a general practice that includes commercial, residential and agricultural transactions on behalf of vendors, purchasers and secured parties, condominium and subdivision development, and petroleum and natural gas leasing. He provides estate planning and administration services and he is also involved in labour and employment-related matters.

As a litigator in civil, domestic and criminal proceedings, Lawrence has appeared before all levels of Manitoba courts, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Tax Court of Canada, as well as numerous administrative tribunals.


Lawrence is also trained in the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques of arbitration, mediation and negotiation and has conducted seminars on these subjects:

As an arbitrator, Lawrence has ruled on disputes under the Western Grains Transportation Act and chaired the Canada Pension Plan Review Tribunal in addition to adjudicating private disputes as a Chartered Arbitrator.

Mediation services are provided in commercial disputes and to assist separating couples, resolve property, support and parenting issues. Lawrence was a contract mediator under the Farm Debt Mediation Act for 10 years.

In the community, Lawrence has taken a leadership role in organizations such as Brandon and District United Way (Board chairman and fundraising campaign chairman), Brandon Chamber Players Inc., Special Olympics Canada 2006 Summer Games and the Kiwanis Club of Brandon. He has also volunteered his time and expertise to numerous other organizations including: Eckhardt-Gramatte National Music Competition Inc., Brandon Youth Hockey Association, Brandon Youth Soccer Association, Dinsdale Personal Care Home, Assiniboine Community College and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (Western) as well as assisting with capital fundraising projects for various community organizations.

Lawrence and his wife, Brenda, have two children who are presently attending university.

Jarett D. Kehler B.A., LL.B.

Jarett joined Donald Legal Services and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2007. He has a general legal practice with a focus on real estate law.

Real estate services provided by Jarett include vendor-purchaser, condominium and subdivision development, related security transactions, landlord and tenant issues, corporate and commercial transactions, and debtor/creditor dispute resolution. His solicitor practice also includes wills, estate planning and administration.

Jarett grew up in Brandon and earned a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in Business Administration, from Brandon University, in 1999. After teaching in Japan and working in business in Alberta, Jarett graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta and was called to the Alberta Bar in 2006.

Jarett and his wife, Cindy, have five children and love the activity of a large family.


Jonathan A. Richert B.A., LL.B., B.C.L.

Jonathan joined Donald Legal Services in 2008 and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2005. He has a general practice with a focus on family and criminal law, as well as employment and real estate law.

Jonathan readily travels to Provincial Courts throughout southwestern Manitoba to meet the needs of his clients.

Jonathan grew up in Brandon and graduated from Brandon University with Bachelor of Arts (Specialist), in 1999. He attended the Faculty of Law at McGill University, completing one year of his program on a study exchange with two universities in the Netherlands. Jonathan then interned with an Amsterdam law firm and subsequently worked as a summer student at the firm's Bangkok, Thailand branch.


Upon graduation from McGill University with a degree in both Common Law and Civil Law, Jonathan worked as the executive assistant to Manitoba's Minister of Education while articling at Manitoba Hydro. He then worked at a Tokyo law firm to gain experience in international family law and corporate law; Jonathan focused on labour and employment law with a Vancouver firm before returning to Brandon in 2005.

Laurence J. Gillespie LL.B.

Laurence joined Donald Legal Services in 2009 and was called to the Manitoba bar in 1994. Laurence has a general practice focusing on family law and civil litigation.

As a litigator in civil and domestic proceedings, Laurence has appeared before all levels of the Manitoba courts and has been involved with Supreme Court of Canada proceedings. He has argued cases before a variety of administrative tribunals including the Immigration and Refugee Board, Board of Revision, Municipal Board, the Manitoba Licence Suspension Appeal Board and several prison discipline tribunals.

Laurence has a strong background in legal research, having worked for the Law Reform Commission of Manitoba, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.



Originally from Nova Scotia, Laurence graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, in 1993, after graduate studies in Old Icelandic.

Laurence's interests outside of law include acting in amateur theatre and writing articles and book reviews, as well as studying history and music. He has taught English as an Additional Language (EAL) and through extensive involvement with Manitoba's Latin American community, Laurence has gained a working knowledge of Spanish.  He is also functional in Icelandic, German and French and has a keen interest in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian.

Laurence's previous community activities include volunteering at Folklorama, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Cook's Creek Medieval Festival, Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, the West End Cultural Centre, Prairie Fire Magazine and Pregnancy Distress Family Support Services. He looks forward to becoming actively involved in our southwestern Manitoba community.