Jeffrey W. DeLoach Cleared 4 of the Georgia Bar’s Own Lawyers

State Bar of Georgia

As of September 28, 2026. Counted from the June 30 emails, the handbook search and my mailbox.

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What the Bar Says

The State Bar’s own grievance page: “Once you file a grievance, it will be reviewed by an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel to determine if the information provided is sufficient to demonstrate a violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct.” (State Bar of Georgia, File a Grievance)

The same page says: “At the end of the screening process the Office of the General Counsel may dismiss grievances that do not present sufficient merit to proceed.” In plain words, screening is the first review, before any investigation.

The Bar’s description of its process: “The State Disciplinary Board decides which cases the State Bar of Georgia will prosecute and the lawyers in the Office of the General Counsel prosecute those cases.” (State Bar of Georgia, Disciplinary Process)

What neither page says: who reviews a grievance when the lawyer complained about works in the Office of the General Counsel. Neither page answers it.

What Happened to My Four Grievances

Four grievances, filed and dated. Each was filed with the State Bar of Georgia. Each came back dismissed on June 30, 2026, in a letter signed by Jeffrey W. DeLoach.

A rubber stamp. Each of Jeffrey W. DeLoach’s four letters used the same conclusion: “I find no basis for this grievance to be forwarded to the State Bar Disciplinary Board for investigation”. Each then dismissed the grievance. Proof of Jeffrey W. DeLoach dismissing all four in under 12 minutes

A door with no one behind it. All four letters came from OGCNoReply@gabar.org, the Office of the General Counsel’s no reply mailbox. The email said: “DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. THIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS NOT MONITORED.”

Who signed, and who did not. The four lawyers worked in the Office of the General Counsel. I am not writing that the Office decided those four grievances. It did not sign the letters. Jeffrey W. DeLoach did.

Two Sets of Rules, One Afternoon

Other lawyers got a standard and reasons. The same afternoon, Adrienne D. Nash, Grievance Counsel, signed two decisions about lawyers outside the Office of the General Counsel. Both stated a “clear and convincing evidence” standard and gave written reasons. One wrote that the submission “failed to satisfy the elements that would sustain a referral of this matter to the State Disciplinary Board.” The other concluded that the evidence did not establish a violation “by clear and convincing evidence.”

The Bar’s own lawyers got one paragraph. Jeffrey W. DeLoach’s four letters stated no standard of proof. Each gave one decision paragraph: “no basis.”

All six, in the order they arrived. Six emails in 11 minutes and 51 seconds.

I do not know why the Bar’s own lawyers got different paper. The letters do not say. The difference I can publish is the paper itself.

I Asked for the Rule. No Answer.

The search. On September 14, 2026, I searched all 4,092 entries of the State Bar’s online handbook: the Bar Rules, the State Disciplinary Board Internal Rules, the Review Board Internal Rules and the Standing Board Policies. None said who handles a grievance against a lawyer who works in the Office of the General Counsel. That does not prove no internal or unwritten procedure exists. It proves I did not find one in the State Bar’s published handbook.

The question. On September 14, 2026, I asked Russell D. Willard, General Counsel, and Damon E. Elmore, Executive Director: “What written rule governs routing of grievances against lawyers employed in the Office of the General Counsel?” I also wrote: “If no written rule exists, please state that plainly.” I asked for an answer by September 24, 2026. As of September 28, 2026, no answer. Proof of my September 14 question

The questions to the man who signed. On September 15, 2026, I wrote to Jeffrey W. DeLoach directly. I asked which standard he applied, what record he received, whether the full Board reviewed the dismissals, who drafted the letters, and what written rule governed the routing. I asked for an answer by September 24. As of September 28, 2026, no reply and no read receipt from him. Proof of my September 15 questions to Jeffrey W. DeLoach

Why I asked these three men. Damon E. Elmore’s own State Bar biography says he is responsible for “leading, managing, and executing the affairs of the Bar and implementing its policies and strategic direction”. Russell D. Willard’s State Bar biography says his office “handles lawyer disciplinary matters for the State Bar.” The State Bar lists Jeffrey W. DeLoach as a member of its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures Committee, whose published job is to advise on “all procedural and substantive disciplinary rules, policies and procedures.”

How This Started: A File the Bar Admitted Was Wrong

The first dismissal. Andreea N. Morrison, Deputy General Counsel, signed an April 10, 2026 dismissal of my first grievance. The letter said there was not enough evidence, and separately said no rebuttal (my written answer to the lawyer’s response) was received.

The admission. On April 21, 2026, Leigh Burgess wrote that my February submissions had been filed in the wrong place and “were not added to the grievance file at that time.” Proof of Leigh Burgess admitting it

The dismissal stood. The April 10 dismissal stayed in place. On June 30, at 4:26:53 PM Eastern, Adrienne D. Nash signed the decision on my request to reconsider it. That letter named a “clear and convincing evidence” standard and gave written reasons. Within the same 12 minutes, the other five decision emails arrived.

Part 1 of 3 · Part 2 · Part 3