The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF) will present its Distinguished Award for Excellence to Peter J. Birnbaum, president and CEO of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. on Oct. 17 at the 16th Annual Gala.

The 2014 Gala will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago. The event is co-chaired by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke, Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. IBF board co-chairs are Deane B. Brown, Beermann Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove LLP, and Shawn S. Kasserman, Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC.

The award, selected by the Illinois Bar Foundation’s board of directors, celebrates one attorney each year for making a major contribution to law and society. Past winners include Mayor Richard M. Daley, Scott Turow, Mary A. Dempsey, Jerold S. Solovy, Joseph A. Power, Jr., Bernard M. Judge, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Burke, and Newton N. Minow. IBF is the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association,

“We are honored to bestow our 16^th Annual Distinguished Award for Excellence on Peter Birnbaum, a well-respected member of our legal community,” said David M. Anderson, executive director, Illinois Bar Foundation. “This award recognizes that leadership and philanthropy have always been at the forefront of Peter’s career.”

In 2011, Birnbaum was inducted as a laureate in the Academy of Illinois Lawyers, the highest honor bestowed by the Illinois State Bar Association, for his lifetime of service to the public and the profession. He also has received the Chicago Bar Association Vanguard Award and the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend A Hand Foundation “Making a Difference” award.

Peter has been recognized by the Illinois Legislature in House Resolution 384 for his work with children’s charities. He is a past president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. He and his wife have been a Big Brother and Big Sister for more than16 years. Birnbaum has served on the board of directors of the Jesse White Foundation for five years, was recently elected Board president, and is helping lead efforts to build the Jesse White Community Center.

A past president of the alumni board and current member of the board of overseers for the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Birnbaum was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from the college in 2004. In 2013, he was named one of the college’s 125 Alumni of Distinction over its 125-year history for his outstanding professional and community service achievements. He was elected to the board of the American Land Title Association in 2009 and currently serves as treasurer. In 2004, Birnbaum was appointed as a judge to the seven-member Illinois Court of Claims and is now serving in his 10^th year.

Birnbaum joined ATG in 1981 and was named president and CEO in 1991. Founded in 1964, ATG has evolvedunder Birnbaum’s leadership into a family of companies offering a broad spectrum of services to more than 4,000 lawyers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana.

 “I am honored to receive this award from the Illinois Bar Foundation. I am especially pleased to accept this award in ATG’s 50^th anniversary year,” Birnbaum said.

For tickets and more information, visit www.illinoisbarfoundation.org.