As of October 17, 2026. Times are Eastern.
On May 15, 2026, this disabled dad filed a grievance against William D. NeSmith III, Deputy General Counsel, State Bar of Georgia. On June 30, 2026, Jeffrey W. DeLoach, Chair of the State Disciplinary Board, dismissed it in three sentences. It was one of six letters the Bar sent me in under twelve minutes that afternoon. The letter is below.
As a result, this grievance is dismissed.
Jeffrey W. DeLoach, Chair, State Disciplinary Board, June 30, 2026, NeSmith copied
A Rubber Stamp: Three Sentences for Thirty One Pages
On June 30, 2026, Jeffrey W. DeLoach, Chair, State Disciplinary Board, State Bar of Georgia, closed my grievance against William D. NeSmith III in a letter of three sentences. By the letter’s own count, he was answering a “seven-page narrative description” and “twenty-four pages of exhibits.” Thirty one pages in. Three sentences out.
This is the whole letter, after the greeting, word for word:
I thoroughly reviewed the seven-page narrative description of your grievance against Mr. NeSmith, as well as the twenty-four pages of exhibits submitted in support of the grievance. Based upon a review of this record, I find no basis for this grievance to be forwarded to the State Bar Disciplinary Board for investigation of violations of Rules 3.4 (e), 4.4(a), 8.4(a)(4) and (a)(7), or any other Georgia Rule of Professional Conduct. As a result, this grievance is dismissed.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey W. DeLoach Chair, State Disciplinary Board
No investigation was opened. The letter gives no reason beyond “no basis.” It was emailed at 4:27 PM, and William D. NeSmith III was copied on it.
How I Filed It:
| What | When (Eastern) | Route and recipient | What came back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grievance filed | May 15, 2026 | The State Bar of Georgia’s online grievance portal | An automated “Receipt of Grievance” email from the Bar’s Office of the General Counsel |
| Copy sent to him | May 15, 2026, 2:26 PM | Email to William D. NeSmith III, copied to Russell D. Willard, Andreea N. Morrison, Leigh Burgess, John J. Shiptenko, Adrienne D. Nash and Christopher P. Twyman | A read receipt from his mailbox at 3:00 PM |
| Decision | June 30, 2026, 4:27 PM | Letter from Jeffrey W. DeLoach, emailed from the Bar’s no reply address, William D. NeSmith III copied | Dismissed. No investigation |
Forty six days from filing to dismissal.
Six Letters in Twelve Minutes:
The dismissal was not the only letter the State Bar of Georgia sent me that afternoon. Six came from the same no reply address. Each one copied the person it concerned.
| Time (Eastern), June 30, 2026 | Who the letter was about | Signed by | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:23 PM | John J. Shiptenko | Jeffrey W. DeLoach | Three sentences |
| 4:24 PM | James R. Westbury, Jr. | Adrienne D. Nash | Letter of several paragraphs |
| 4:26 PM | The respondent attorney | Adrienne D. Nash | Letter of several paragraphs |
| 4:27 PM | William D. NeSmith III | Jeffrey W. DeLoach | Three sentences |
| 4:28 PM | Andreea N. Morrison | Jeffrey W. DeLoach | Three sentences |
| 4:35 PM | Leigh Burgess | Jeffrey W. DeLoach | Three sentences |
Six letters. Eleven minutes and fifty one seconds from the first to the last. Four were about lawyers inside the Bar’s own Office of the General Counsel. Jeffrey W. DeLoach signed all four, in the same three sentence form. Adrienne D. Nash signed the two about lawyers outside the Bar’s office. Those ran several paragraphs. That is what I call a pattern: four for four, the same form, the same afternoon.
What I Allege:
- A rubber stamp. I allege that on June 30, 2026, Jeffrey W. DeLoach, Chair, State Disciplinary Board, State Bar of Georgia, dismissed my grievance against William D. NeSmith III in a letter of three sentences, after receiving what the letter itself counts as a “seven-page narrative description” and “twenty-four pages of exhibits.” Source: the June 30, 2026 letter.
- No investigation. I allege that the letter found “no basis for this grievance to be forwarded to the State Bar Disciplinary Board for investigation,” and that no investigation of William D. NeSmith III was opened. Source: the June 30, 2026 letter.
- He was copied on his own clearance. I allege that the dismissal was emailed at 4:27 PM on June 30, 2026 with William D. NeSmith III copied. Source: the June 30, 2026, 4:27 PM email.
- Four for four. I allege that on June 30, 2026, between 4:23 PM and 4:35 PM, the State Bar of Georgia emailed me six decision letters, and that all four about lawyers in its own Office of the General Counsel (John J. Shiptenko, William D. NeSmith III, Andreea N. Morrison and Leigh Burgess) were three sentence letters signed by Jeffrey W. DeLoach. It appears to me that the Bar’s own lawyers got a stamp and outside lawyers got a letter. Sources: the six June 30, 2026 emails and their attachments.
- Read, then cleared. I allege that his mailbox returned a read receipt on the copy of my grievance at 3:00 PM on May 15, 2026, forty six days before the letter that cleared him. Source: the May 15, 2026 read receipt.
What It Did to a Disabled Dad:
I put thirty one pages together with assistive technology, one costly sentence at a time. The answer that came back was three sentences, and the man I wrote about was copied on it.
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 what my grievance alleged. It does not say whether William D. NeSmith III broke any rule. It says when I filed, how, to whom, and what came back. Calling it a rubber stamp is my opinion based on my experience. The letter is quoted in full above, after the greeting.
I have invited the State Bar of Georgia to identify any inaccuracy on this page. As of October 17, 2026, it has identified none.