The Story · State Bar of Georgia
On April 21, 2026, Leigh Burgess, Assistant General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia, confirmed in writing that my two answers had arrived in February and were not in my file when my complaint was decided. In the same email she apologized, said the file was now complete, and told me my participation was not required. Proof of Leigh Burgess’s April 21, 2026 reply
If you know nothing about this, start here
I complained about a lawyer to the State Bar of Georgia, the body that decides those complaints. It asked for my written answer, got it twice, and decided without it. When I caught the mistake, the lawyer who answered me said sorry, said the file was fixed, and said the State Bar of Georgia did not need anything more from me. The decision it made without my answers stayed exactly as it was.
What Leigh Burgess confirmed on April 21, 2026
| What I sent or asked | What Leigh Burgess wrote |
|---|---|
| My February 3 and February 20, 2026 answers | Both received |
| The file when Andreea N. Morrison, Deputy General Counsel, decided my complaint on April 10 | My answers not in it |
| The file by April 21 | My answers added; “the file is complete” |
| What happens next | “assigned to a different attorney for a full and independent review” |
| What I should do | “your participation is not required” |
| What came of the review | June 30, 2026: Adrienne D. Nash, Grievance Counsel, affirmed the dismissal |
The one line to remember
“At this time, your participation is not required, as the file is complete.”
Leigh Burgess, Assistant General Counsel, State Bar of Georgia, April 21, 2026. Read the receipt
The last time the State Bar of Georgia decided my complaint without my participation, it was because it had left my answers out. Now it was telling me not to participate on purpose.
What she said went wrong
Leigh Burgess wrote that my two emails were labeled as supplemental submissions, so staff treated them as unsolicited and did not put them in the file. She supervises the staff who run that mailbox. Then:
“As a result of this misclassification, your submissions were not added to the grievance file at that time. Accordingly, when Ms. Morrison reviewed the file, no rebuttal was present.”
She wrote that she had taken steps to prevent a repeat. The email does not say what steps.
Read the text transcript
From: Leigh Burgess
To: [my name removed]
Cc: Leigh Burgess
Sent: April 21, 2026, 11:53 AM ET
Subject: FW: [External] Grievance No. [number removed] — Correction of April 10 Dismissal and Request for Recusal
4 files attached.
Mr. [my name removed],
Ms. Morrison forwarded your email to me for direct response. I supervise the staff responsible for monitoring the Response@gabar.org mailbox.
You are correct that we received emails from you on February 3, 2026, and February 20, 2026. However, because your messages were labeled as a “Supplemental Submission in Support of Grievance,” they were not processed as rebuttals and were instead treated as unsolicited submissions. As noted in the automatic reply from the response mailbox, our office is unable to process unsolicited supplemental materials after a grievance has been submitted and can only accept responses from attorneys or rebuttals from complainants. The notice also advises that responses and rebuttals should be submitted in a single, complete email rather than in multiple messages.
As a result of this misclassification, your submissions were not added to the grievance file at that time. Accordingly, when Ms. Morrison reviewed the file, no rebuttal was present. I have taken steps to address this issue to help ensure it does not occur in the future.
Your previously submitted materials, referred to in your correspondence as “supplemental evidentiary briefs,” have now been added to the file. Because the grievance has already been dismissed, your recent email to Ms. Morrison will be treated as a Request for Reconsideration of Dismissal. This process allows for a dismissed matter to be reviewed again to determine whether sufficient evidence exists of a violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct.
At this stage, the file is considered complete. It now includes your grievance, the attorney’s response, your rebuttal materials, and your request for reconsideration. In accordance with Office of the General Counsel procedures, the matter will be assigned to a different attorney for a full and independent review. You will be notified in writing once a determination has been made. If additional information is needed, we will contact you.
In your correspondence to Ms. Morrison, you also stated that your letter serves as a request for disability-related accommodation. Grievance Counsel reviews and manages such requests as part of the grievance process, coordinating with Bar Counsel as appropriate to ensure accessibility and compliance. At this time, your participation is not required, as the file is complete. Should further input from you become necessary, you will receive instructions at that time, along with the opportunity to submit any accommodation requests.
I apologize for the oversight and appreciate your patience. To reiterate, your file is now complete and will be reviewed in light of your timely submissions as part of the reconsideration process.
Sincerely,
Leigh Burgess
LEIGH BURGESS //
Assistant General Counsel
104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100 | Atlanta, GA 30303
T: 404-526-8633 | F: 404-527-8744 | leighb@gabar.org
Typed from the native message. Names, my contact details and file numbers are removed and marked in brackets. Nothing else is changed.
What she promised, in her words
| Subject | Leigh Burgess, April 21, 2026 |
|---|---|
| My earlier answers | “have now been added to the file.” |
| My April 20 email | “will be treated as a Request for Reconsideration of Dismissal.” |
| Who reviews it | “the matter will be assigned to a different attorney for a full and independent review.” |
| How I hear back | “You will be notified in writing once a determination has been made.” |
| The apology | “I apologize for the oversight and appreciate your patience.” |
| My ADA request | Grievance Counsel handles those; my participation not required at this time; instructions would come if more input became necessary |
Seventy days later, on June 30, 2026, Adrienne D. Nash, Grievance Counsel, State Bar of Georgia, signed the reconsideration decision. Dismissal affirmed. Proof of the June 30, 2026 decision
What I allege
1. I allege that Leigh Burgess confirmed, in her own words on April 21, 2026, that the State Bar of Georgia received my answers and decided my complaint without them. Her email says both.
2. I allege that the same email told me to stand down. “Your participation is not required.” The State Bar of Georgia had just shown me what happens to my complaint when I am not in the room. Its answer was to keep me out of the room.
3. I allege that the apology changed nothing I could see. The April 10 dismissal was not withdrawn. The review she promised ended on June 30, 2026 with the same result, signed by a different lawyer in the same office.
4. I allege that I had to find the mistake myself, on April 20. Nothing in the record shows the State Bar of Georgia noticing on its own that it had decided my complaint on an empty file.
5. “The file is complete” was complete for the State Bar of Georgia, not for me. My answers went in after the decision. A file is not complete when the decision in it was made before the answers were.
6. “I apologize for the oversight” and “your participation is not required” in the same email is the whole story of this record in two sentences. Sorry we left you out. Now please stay out.
Is this how they would treat their own family or friends that were disabled
Questions and answers
Did Leigh Burgess admit the State Bar of Georgia received my emails? Yes. Her April 21, 2026 email names February 3 and February 20, 2026 and confirms both arrived.
Did she say the answers were still missing? No. She wrote they had now been added and the file was complete.
Did the review she promised change the result? No. On June 30, 2026, Adrienne D. Nash denied reconsideration and affirmed the April 10 dismissal.
Read the documents
I am not asking you to take my word for any of it. I am asking you to read theirs.
Proof of Leigh Burgess’s April 21, 2026 reply · Georgia Bar Had My 2 Answers. Its Dismissal Said It Had None. · The April 21 diary · The Receipts
Corrections
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