Alice Bernal, a family law attorney whose practice includes Allegan and Kent County residents, has announced her candidacy for the newly-created Third Circuit Court bench seat in the 48th District Circuit court, Allegan County. 

The Michigan Legislature created the new Circuit Court position last year to help alleviate the backlog of cases facing the county’s two circuit court judges, Margaret Zurich Bakker, and Matthew Antkoviak. The new judge will be elected in November. 

Bernal has been a member of the Michigan State Bar, Allegan County Bar, and was admitted by the US District Courts of Eastern and Western Michigan since 2017, before which she had 12 years’ experience as a paralegal. 

“As a judge of the Circuit Court, I will put the welfare of children first in applying the law,” Bernal said. “It is important that judges work to respect families and uphold the rights of children to be supported and have access to parents while being protected. If parents can agree on how to raise their children and manage their finances, the court should give them every opportunity to do so.”

Bernal is married with four sons and two granddaughters. Besides her legal associations, she is a member of Life Change Community Church, Burnips, and President of the Dorr Business Associaton. She is also a certified domestic relations mediator.

She earned her law degree from Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School, graduating cum laude, while a single working mother.

Bernal is also assistant professor of legal studies at Lansing Community College. 

“Judges have an obligation to rule on the law as it is written and not what they believe it should be,” Bernal said, describing her philosophy. “As an Allegan County Circuit Court judge, I will closely follow the law and apply it to the facts before me.”

Bernal said she intended to make her campaign a listening tour of the county to understand the expectations county residents have of a judge.