Tracy Van den Bergh is a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School and a judge in Washtenaw County. Voters elected her in 2020, and she took the bench on January 1, 2021.
Van den Bergh currently hears family law and personal protection cases. Her current interests involve developing better screening for domestic violence survivors in family court, and interdisciplinary approaches to family law proceedings.
Before practicing law, Van den Bergh was a clinical social worker and mental health director, diagnosing and treating children, adults, and families struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. This work motivated her to address related issues in the legal system.
As an attorney, Van den Bergh handled cases in a broad number of practice areas while focusing on high-conflict domestic litigation and serving particularly vulnerable individuals and families. Before 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. At LSSCM, she simultaneously served as a field instructor for Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Van den Bergh is active in several community organizations. She belongs to the Michigan Association for Justice, Michigan Judges Association, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Women Lawyers Association, and NAACP-Willow Run Branch.
Before taking office, Van den Bergh served as co-chair of the Washtenaw County Bar Association Public Service Committee. She also is a former member of the Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative Steering Committee, Michigan Justice Caucus, Jim Toy Community Center, and National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.