As of October 17, 2026. Times are Eastern.
On October 7, 2026, at 3:32 PM, this disabled dad sent Russell D. Willard, General Counsel, State Bar of Georgia, one PDF: a letter, 32 exhibits and sixteen questions. Its first paragraph ends: “I hold no reply from your address and nothing signed by you.” The answers are due October 20, 2026. As of October 17, 2026, none has come.
The Man Who Signs Nothing:
Russell D. Willard is the General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia. His name heads the letterhead of the office that handles lawyer discipline. As of October 17, 2026, he has never sent me an email.
My October 7, 2026 letter counted 43 emails with his name on them since April 20, 2026. Eight were addressed to him. The full count, as of October 17, 2026: 47 of my emails carried his address. 9 were addressed to him and 38 copied him.
His mailbox returned one read receipt in all of it. That one came 34 days after I sent the email.
What the October 7 Letter Said:
At 3:32 PM on October 7, 2026, I sent the letter to him and to Stacey Peace, the State ADA Coordinator. I copied the State Bar’s Executive Director, Damon E. Elmore, the Bar’s leaders and the address the State Bar now prints on its grievance forms for disability requests.
Its first paragraph said: “Since that day I have put your name on 43 emails. I hold no reply from your address and nothing signed by you.”
It set what the State Bar wrote me beside what its lawyers wrote a federal court. It said: “This letter sets all three side by side and asks you which one the Bar stands behind.”
It asked him sixteen questions, with this deadline: “Answer each one in writing by Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern.”
What Came Back:
| When (Eastern) | From | What it was |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2026, 3:33 PM | Jeffrey W. DeLoach, copied | Automatic reply: “I will respond to your email as promptly as possible upon my return.” |
| October 7, 2026, 3:36 PM | A State Bar staff mailbox, copied | Two read receipts |
| October 7, 2026, 3:41 PM to 4:24 PM | Stacey Peace, addressed; the State ADA Coordinator’s Office mailbox and three other people, copied | Five read receipts |
| October 7, 2026, to October 17, 2026 | Russell D. Willard | Nothing |
On October 21, 2026, at 4:58 PM, Russell D. Willard answered. He wrote about “your claim of being disabled” and “your asserted disability,” and wrote that all seven grievances “have been dismissed, are concluded, and will not be re-opened.” Read what he wrote.
The Same Day, the Courts Said It Was Not Their Job:
The same afternoon, at 3:35 PM, I filed an ADA grievance with the Judicial Council of Georgia and Administrative Office of the Courts. It was about the State Bar’s Office of the General Counsel, and about Russell D. Willard as its head. It was delivered at 3:38 PM.
No receipt came. I asked again on October 14. I asked again on October 16. At 12:08 PM on October 16, 2026, the General Counsel of that office wrote: “The JC/AOC does not have the authority to investigate discrimination claims against local courts or the State Bar of Georgia.”
What I Allege:
- The man who signs nothing. I allege that as of October 17, 2026, Russell D. Willard, General Counsel, State Bar of Georgia, has sent me no email and no letter he signed, though 47 of my emails carried his address, 9 of them addressed to him. Sources: my mailbox, all folders, searched for russw@gabar.org; the master record of my sent mail.
- Opened 34 days late. I allege that the one read receipt his mailbox ever returned, on June 3, 2026, at 3:35 PM, was on an email I sent on April 30, 2026, titled “Urgent Request for Help”. Source: the read receipt from RussW@gabar.org.
- The final notice. I allege that on October 7, 2026, at 3:32 PM, I sent him a letter with 32 exhibits asking sixteen questions, including which of his office’s accounts the State Bar stands behind, with answers due October 20, 2026. Source: my October 7 email and letter as sent.
- Silence, so far. I allege that as of October 17, 2026 no answer has come from him, and that the only replies to that email were an automatic reply and seven read receipts from other mailboxes, none from his. Source: my mailbox.
- Nobody takes the complaint. I allege that the ADA grievance I filed on October 7, 2026 with the Judicial Council of Georgia and Administrative Office of the Courts went unacknowledged through two follow ups, and that on October 16, 2026 that office wrote it “does not have the authority to investigate discrimination claims against local courts or the State Bar of Georgia.” Sources: the delivery receipt of October 7; my October 14 and October 16 follow ups; the October 16, 12:08 PM reply.
What This Cost a Disabled Dad:
I write with assistive technology. That is how I wrote all 47 of those emails. The head of the office never wrote one back. When I took it to the court system’s own office, it said it had no authority to look.
Is this how they would treat their own family or friends that were disabled
What This Page Does Not Say:
This page does not say Russell D. Willard read the October 7 letter; his mailbox returned no read receipt on it. It sets out what was sent, when, and what came back. The labels are my opinion based on my experience. The quotations are from the documents.
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