Sharmila K. Manak is a Circuit Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, the trial court that serves Lake County, Illinois, from the courthouse in Waukegan. This is a public-service dossier: a factual entry that states the role, lets people who have dealt with this office share a firsthand experience rating, and helps others researching their own case find accurate information. It records no allegation and states no finding of misconduct.

Official biography and current assignment

Elected Circuit Judge in November 2022. Presiding Judge of the Family Division in Courtroom C-103. Simon Fraser University (1999); UIC Law (2002). Former Chief in the Lake County Public Defender’s Felony Division and Chief Deputy in the State’s Attorney’s Criminal Division.

Source: the judge’s official profile published by the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court (19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us).

The role and its responsibilities

Circuit judges of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit are elected countywide and may preside over any of the court’s divisions — Civil, Family, Felony, Misdemeanor/Traffic, and Juvenile. They hear the most serious matters, including felony trials, and can be assigned to civil, family, or administrative dockets.

Why this profile exists — accountability you can use

Public officials answer to the public they serve. Anyone who has appeared before or dealt with Sharmila K. Manak — as a party, juror, witness, attorney, or observer — can record a firsthand rating so a pattern of experience becomes visible and searchable. Officials can look themselves up here, see what the public reports, and respond by conducting the office transparently. This is civic feedback, not a verdict.

Rate your firsthand experience

Leave one editable 1-5 star rating with optional context, anonymously or from a verified account. Keep it to what you directly experienced: fairness, courtroom management, clarity, timeliness, and professionalism. Open the rating page for Sharmila K. Manak.

How to look up a specific case

Search a case number or party name on the Lake County Circuit Clerk public portal, then compare the docket against your own records. For the documented accountability investigations behind this site, see the named officials in the record, the Silence Ledger, and the full court directory.