While in private practice, Mrs. Bergman handled over a thousand lawsuits and claims involving diverse business disputes, personal injury matters, estate planning, family law matters, guardianships, probate matters, and personal and real estate disputes. Further, Mrs. Bergman had a very active appellate practice involving both civil and criminal appeals at the court of appeals level as well as the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Supreme Court of the State of Texas.

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As an active member of her community, Jennifer served two terms as a member of the City Council for the City of Cleveland, Texas. She is involved with numerous boards and organizations including serving as a board member for the Health Center of Southeast Texas.  In addition, she is an active member and past president of the Rotary Club of Cleveland, Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, Duck’s Unlimited Big Thicket Chapter, and First Baptist Church of Cleveland, Texas.

 

Bergman practiced law in Bexar County, Texas prior to returning to Cleveland in 2011 at which time she established the Law Office of Jennifer L. Bergman PLLC. In addition to running her private law practice, Jennifer was the prosecutor for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Tribal Court from 2015 until she took office as the Liberty County District Attorney in 2021. As the prosecutor for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Tribal Court, Jennifer assisted in the establishment of the criminal component of the tribal court system. During her tenure as the head prosecutor for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, Jennifer was solely responsible for the prosecution of cases in the Tribal Court, ranging from misdemeanor offenses to felonies. During this time, Jennifer has received over 150 hours of prosecutorial training including approximately 120 hours of training specifically related to the prosecution of family violence cases and trauma-informed investigation and prosecutions. She has also received extensive, in-depth training regarding the opioid crisis and drug-related offenses on a local and national scale. Specifically, Jennifer attended the National Institute on the Prosecution of Domestic Violence in Indian Country, Investigative Techniques Related to the Enforcement of Illicit Drug Trafficking in Indian Country, and Indian Country Criminal Trial Advocacy training initiatives at the National Advocacy Center located in Columbia, South Carolina.  She also attended the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) Trial Advocacy Training, and numerous Intertribal Working Group (ITWG) trainings related to the Special Domestic Violence Jurisdiction involving the Violence Against Women Act. 

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During her first term as the Liberty County District Attorney, Jennifer worked to strengthen ties between local law enforcement and the DA's office by introducing a 24-hour on-call line where she or an assistant prosecutor from her office is personally available to assist law enforcement at all times, including holidays and weekends. In addition, Bergman has provided 19 sets of body armor for law enforcement officers to ensure that every officer in Liberty County has the tools and protection they need to protect our families and safely do their jobs. She also hosted and provided approximately 200 hours of training for area law enforcement and hosted over 200 local educators for Civilian Response to Active Shooter and Stop the Bleed training.

Bergman modernized the District Attorney’s office with specific emphasis on replacing the outdated criminal case filing process, significantly reducing case backlog, helping meet the caseload demands of a rapidly growing population, and ensuring criminals are quickly taken off the streets. Bergman has prioritized funding and staffing of the DARE program for children and schools across Liberty County. In addition, Bergman is a member of the Board at Bridgehaven Children’s Advocacy Center and drastically increased services and support for victims of crime.

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Bergman, a fifth-generation Cleveland resident, is married to Zack Harkness, a member of the United States Coast Guard, a firefighter with the City of Cleveland Fire Department, and the Precinct 6 Constable. Jennifer and Zack are the proud parents of twins, Ella and Hudson. They enjoy spending time on their family farm, hunting, fishing, cooking, traveling, and working at their apiary. Jennifer and Zack are also the owners of Berg’s and the Bees Wildflower Honey and diligently work to aid in the conservation of honey bees in Southeast Texas.