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This 1 of the hub’s 4 entries was not yet linked on this page. It is moved word for word from the State Bar of Georgia hub on October 19, 2026. The other 3 were already linked here.
- Shiptenko Alone Acknowledged the Grievance Against Him: ‘Received.’Two grievances, one office, two speeds. A seven day dismissal beside a 46 day one. The State Bar of Georgia’s own dates.
Part 1 of 2 · Part 2
When It Happened:
On January 23, 2026, I filed a grievance with the State Bar of Georgia. The filing began the State Bar record.
On January 28, 2026, the State Bar Response mailbox transmitted the grievance to the lawyer the grievance was about with me copied.
On February 3, 2026, at 3:42 PM, the State Bar Response mailbox transmitted the written response of the lawyer the grievance was about and opened the written rebuttal stage.
On February 3, 2026, later that day, I sent the first supplemental submission through the State Bar Response mailbox.
On February 20, 2026, I sent the second supplemental submission through the State Bar Response mailbox by the Bar’s response deadline.
On April 10, 2026, Andreea N. Morrison, Deputy General Counsel, State Bar of Georgia, dismissed the grievance in writing. Morrison wrote: “we did not receive a rebuttal.” Read the April 10 dismissal
On April 20, 2026, I asked the State Bar for supervisory review and correction of the April 10 dismissal. Read the April 20 request
On April 20, 2026, at 8:21 PM, my letter to Andreea N. Morrison, Deputy General Counsel, reserved my rights under “the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act”.
On April 21, 2026, Leigh Burgess, Assistant General Counsel, State Bar of Georgia, wrote: “As a result of this misclassification, your submissions were not added to the grievance file at that time.” Read the April 21 admission
On April 21, 2026, at 6:43 PM, I sent a written disability access request to Leigh Burgess and Andreea N. Morrison, with State Bar officials copied. Read the April 21 access request
On April 21, 2026, at 6:48 PM, I sent Christopher P. Twyman, President of the State Bar of Georgia, written notice of the admitted file problem. The supplied record contains no reply from Twyman to that notice.
On April 30, 2026, I asked the State ADA Coordinator’s Office for help locating a usable disability access route for the State Bar grievance process, with State Bar officials copied.
On April 30, 2026, John J. Shiptenko, Senior Assistant General Counsel, wrote that he was serving as ADA Coordinator for the reconsideration.
On April 30, 2026, I asked Russell D. Willard, General Counsel, for a written conflict screen and written information on who decides it.
On May 1, 2026, between 8:28 AM and 8:33 AM, John J. Shiptenko sent three separate acknowledgments to three April 30 transmissions. Each said “Thank you.”
On May 4, 2026, John J. Shiptenko granted written communication and accessible electronic format as accommodations. Read the May 4 accommodation email
On May 5, 2026, Leigh Burgess confirmed the misclassification again and wrote that the February submissions and that lawyer’s response were now together in the file.
On May 7, 2026, I sent Leigh Burgess and Andreea N. Morrison written questions about the operational handling of the admitted misclassification. Read the May 7 questions
On May 7, 2026, John J. Shiptenko sent a written response on access. He stated that the State Bar had more than one ADA Coordinator depending on the program, service, or activity, that Adrienne D. Nash usually handled ADA requests for the grievance process while he assisted, and that he had spoken with the State ADA Coordinator’s Office.
On May 11, 2026, at 8:17 PM, I wrote to Russell D. Willard and requested a written response by May 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern. Read the May 11 letter
On May 12, 2026, William D. NeSmith III, Deputy General Counsel, wrote: “The State Bar of Georgia is not a public entity, such as a federal, state or local government department or agency.” Read the May 12 email
On May 12, 2026, William D. NeSmith III also wrote: “The State Bar of Georgia is not a department or agency of the State of Georgia, therefore we are not required to have a published ADA Coordinator.”
On May 12, 2026, William D. NeSmith III wrote: “Based upon your communications, it does not appear that you require assistance in preparing written submissions or otherwise accessing the grievance or reconsideration process.”
On May 12, 2026, William D. NeSmith III wrote that my invocation of the ADA process “may be directed less toward obtaining accommodation or access assistance and more toward securing a particular substantive outcome regarding the underlying grievance matter”.
On May 12, 2026, William D. NeSmith III wrote: “I am available at 11.30 only.” Read the May 12 meeting email
On May 13, 2026, at 7:34 AM, William D. NeSmith III wrote that the 11:30 time had been meant for a colleague and had been sent to me in error.
On May 13, 2026, at 12:08 PM, John J. Shiptenko wrote: “The State Bar has approved your accommodation request.” The same email stated that Adrienne D. Nash would postpone the reconsideration decision until June 15. Read the May 13 accommodation approval
On May 13, 2026, at 1:29 PM, William D. NeSmith III wrote that he expected to respond the next day.
On May 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern, the answer date in my May 11 letter passed without the requested response from Russell D. Willard.
On May 15, 2026, William D. NeSmith III wrote that the State Bar would not engage in further substantive correspondence concerning threatened claims outside formal legal process. He wrote that accommodation communications should continue through John J. Shiptenko. Read the May 15 State Bar response
On May 15, 2026, I filed three grievances through the State Bar process. They concerned Andreea N. Morrison, William D. NeSmith III, and a lawyer outside the Office of the General Counsel. The allegations and contents of those filings are not published here.
On May 15, 2026, at 2:23 PM, an unsigned Office of the General Counsel message acknowledged receipt of a grievance submitted through the online portal and stated that it would be placed in line for review.
On May 19, 2026, I mailed a federal ADA Title II complaint about the State Bar of Georgia to the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, by USPS Priority Mail. As of October 23, 2026, I have no acknowledgment from the Department of Justice.
On May 19, 2026, an unsigned message from the State Bar Response mailbox confirmed receipt of the three May 15 grievances. It also stated that requests for information about status, procedures, or other subjects beyond a withdrawal or request to supplement would not be processed. Read the May 19 message
On May 20, 2026, John J. Shiptenko responded to a request to confirm whether additional material had reached the reconsideration file. He wrote: “I received it as a courtesy copy. You can contact Ms. Nash directly to verify her receipt.”
On May 21, 2026, after repeated receipt requests, Adrienne D. Nash, Grievance Counsel, confirmed she had received the additional material and reported that one attachment could not be opened.
On May 22, 2026, Adrienne D. Nash wrote that she could access the resent attachments and that they would be added to the file for review. Read the May 22 confirmation
On May 26, 2026, John J. Shiptenko addressed the absence of a filing route that avoided CAPTCHA and differences between the Spanish and English grievance forms. He described an interactive process for a person who needed assistance with the form.
Part 1 of 2 · Part 2