A Winnipeg lawyer with a history of failing to communicate with clients or tell them when and where to attend their court dates has been handed an eight-month suspension by a disciplinary panel.

A Law Society of Manitoba disciplinary panel gave Douglas Mayer, 65, an eight-month suspension after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of professional misconduct, says a written decision dated Feb. 23.

Mayer, who was called to the bar in Manitoba in 1988, was also ordered to pay $7,000 in costs to the society.

Mayer admitted to failing to provide legal services that were “courteous, thorough, prompt, competent, timely, conscientious, diligent, efficient and civil” to five clients and to breaching conditions of a 2019 undertaking, the panel said.

In the undertaking, Mayer agreed to attend his clients’ legal matters, to communicate with them in a timely manner, and to immediately notify his clients if he were to “experience health-related or other difficulties that might hinder” his ability to provide timely services, the panel wrote.

Mayer breached the undertaking multiple times from 2020 to 2023, as five clients accused Mayer of failing to communicate with them, the panel said.

One client said Mayer didn’t tell her or her witnesses that they may face cross-examination in a Winnipeg trial until less than one month before it was scheduled to begin, and didn’t offer them any advice on how to prepare for the trial, the decision says.

Mayer “did not offer a reasonable or any explanation” when given the chance to explain why he breached the undertaking multiple times, but the panel said he did express remorse for his actions at the discipline hearing.

“He confirmed that he was not aware of his mental health condition and agreed to obtain treatment,” the decision says.

Two lawyers who supervised Mayer wrote 11 reports about him from June 2024 to December 2025, including one who resigned in October 2025, the decision says.

That supervisor had concerns about Mayer’s “ability to be flexible” when dealing with clients “that are not sophisticated,” the panel said.

The supervisor also said Mayer had a history of failing to tell his clients when their court dates were scheduled, where to meet for court, and relevant financial information, unless the client called or emailed him first, the panel said.

A doctor’s report about Mayer said the 65-year-old “meets the diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder,” and recommended that he engage with medical professionals to help him with his condition, the panel wrote.

‘Inherently serious’

Mayer had been disciplined by the law society six times before his latest suspension. The majority of the time the discipline involved failures to communicate with clients or provide them a required quality of service, the panel said.

Although lawyers for both Mayer and the law society agreed that a suspension longer than 60 days was necessary, they didn’t agree how long it should be, the decision says.

They agreed to use a set of factors to determine his suspension, which included his conduct, age, experience, previous character, victim impact and penalties given in similar cases, the panel said.

The society’s lawyer said Mayer’s conduct is “very serious” when looked at as a whole, arguing his mental health condition does not excuse his misconduct, considering he’d been disciplined for similar conduct in the past, the panel said.

“This matter involves multiple breaches of an undertaking and multiple instances of professional misconduct over a lengthy period of time and these factors amplify the seriousness of the offences,” the decision says.

Mayer’s lawyer argued his mental health condition must be considered when determining an appropriate penalty, asking for a three- to four-month suspension.

Mayer’s lawyer argued that his offences were “not of the more serious variety,” and that there was no suggestion of financial loss, incompetence or greed in the situation, the decision says.

The panel disagreed with the idea that Mayer’s offences were less serious than others, saying while they might fall “closer to the less serious end of the continuum, the counts do not stand in isolation and must be considered in the context” of his prior disciplinary record as a whole.

The law society has previously said a breach of an undertaking is “inherently serious,” as undertakings are one of the most important tools to govern the legal profession, the panel said.

Mayer’s conduct is nearing the point where the law society may deem him ungovernable and disbar him, the panel said.

The eight-month suspension represents a “meaningful and proportionate escalation” from his prior discipline, the panel said. It’s also in the public interest, will send an appropriate message to Mayer and the profession and should serve as a deterrent against future misconduct by Mayer, they said.

Mayer agreed to practise with administrative support at all times, under specific supervision laid out by a complaints committee, and to “follow the advice of all medical professionals as directed,” while regularly reporting to the society, the decision said.