By Teresa Killeen
Washtenaw County Bar Association
Judge Tracy Van den Bergh was elected by the voters of Washtenaw County in 2020 and took the bench on January 1, 2021.
Before practicing law, Judge Van den Bergh first earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from New York University. As a clinical social worker and Mental Health Director, she diagnosed and treated children, adults, and families struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Judge Van den Bergh subsequently earned her Juris Doctor from Michigan State College of Law, graduating in the top 5 percent of her class.
As an attorney, Van den Bergh handled cases in a broad number of practice areas, while focusing on high-conflict litigation and serving particularly vulnerable individuals and families. Prior to being seated on the circuit court, she served in the office of the Michigan Attorney General, where she managed complex litigation in the Health, Education, and Family Services Division. For eight years, she also provided comprehensive legal services to more than 1,000 disadvantaged Washtenaw County residents as a staff, and later a supervising attorney at Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM). At LSSCM, she simultaneously served as a Field Instructor for Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Did you always want to be an attorney? No. I am the first lawyer in my family and did not decide to go to law school until I was 31, after I had already been practicing as a clinical social worker. My work as a social worker motivated me to go to law school so I could address related issues in the legal system.
What would your second career choice have been? Physician.
Words of wisdom for new lawyers: If you do not like the work you are doing, change it. And, if you make a mistake, fix it, own it, and move on. It happens to everyone.
What was your first job? Cashier at a supermarket.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I enjoy hiking and spending time with my family and dogs. I also enjoy horseback riding.
Do you do any volunteer work? Most of my current volunteer work focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating bullmastiffs through bullmastiff rescue, however, I held prior board positions with National Alliance on Mental Illness, Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, and Summers-Knoll school.
What is your biggest challenge as a judge? Is this different than in the past?
In the past I was an advocate for one position, so being a judge is quite different. Now, my biggest challenge is trying to figure out which side is telling the truth when I am faced with very different stories and no third-party information.
Tell us a little about your family. I have been married for 26 years to my husband Larry. Our daughter Isabelle is 21 and just getting ready to graduate from University of Vermont. We share our home with three bullmastiffs, a dachshund, a horse, and two rescued parrots.
Do you travel much? My family and I love to travel. Some of my favorite places are Costa Rica, Australia, and Africa. I love going anywhere that I can see animals in their natural environment.
What person, past or present would you like to have dinner with? The late Congressman John Lewis.
Can you tell us about some interesting cases? My career has allowed me to have a broad range of experience in both the public and private sector. Just prior to becoming a judge, I worked on settling a class action litigation which led to systemic reform in the delivery of mental health services to special needs children. It was a very satisfying case since both sides are aligned philosophically, working well collaboratively, and committed to systemic reform.
When I was a new lawyer, I worked on a very interesting wrongful death claim that resulted in me learning about the chemical properties of propane and mechanics of regulators, which is something I never thought I would be doing. I also conducted/defended 35 depositions on that case in one month.
My most meaningful work, however, has been in family law. I am especially proud of the appellate work I have done which resulted in returning a child to the care of their custodial parent.
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