Lake County Circuit Judge Michael Betar | submitted photo

Lake County Associate Judge Michael B. Betar received the 2024 Arab American Bar Association of Illinois Lifetime Advocate Award during a judicial reception in Chicago earlier this month.

The Arab American Bar Association of Illinois is a professional association of attorneys dedicated to the rule of law, equal justice, fellowship, legal education, and community service in Illinois, officials said in a news release.

“I am very proud to be the recipient of the Lifetime Advocate Award,” Betar said.ย  “I was a founding member of this organization 32 years ago, and I have enjoyed my membership ever since.ย  This bar association does meaningful and important work for the Arab American community, and I am honored to be recognized.”

Betar served in the United States Marine Corps. and graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. and studied at the American University in Washington, D.C., the news release states.

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Betar earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.

After admission to the Illinois Bar, he practiced civil litigation in the private sector until he was appointed Associate Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit in 2008.

โ€œI am proud that my friend and colleague, Judge Betar, was honored and recognized with this award,โ€ said 19th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge Daniel B. Shanes.

According to a news release, the AABAR is committed to quality legal representation for all, regardless of background and membership is open to any licensed attorney or law student sharing in the organizationโ€™s goals, regardless of ancestry, race, color, or creed.

The award to Betar wasย presented by Jawad Shalabi, Vice President of AABAR.