Meet Eric Rhein
Eric is a trial and appellate litigator with thirty-five years’ experience practicing law in Southern Illinois and Federal Courts.
After graduating from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in 1983, Eric joined the firm of Kuehn and Rhein. In 1984, he took a part-time position as an Assistant Public Defender. Five years later, he transitioned to the role of Assistant State’s Attorney, handling primarily misdemeanor cases, and remarkably winning every verdict he was involved with as a prosecutor for the entirety of his 24 years representing St. Clair County. During that time, Eric was involved in in a case that resulted in an episode of A&E “Cold Case Files,” which aired on April 25, 2000 – Season 1, Episode 6, “Through The Eyes Of A Child/Killer Next Door”.
"Cold Case Files" - Season 1, Ep. 6
"Through The Eyes Of A Child"
In 1995, Eric started Eric M. Rhein, Esq., a law firm specializing in family law, personal injury law, small business litigation, criminal defense, defamation cases, deprivation cases, and cases involving First Amendment Rights.
Throughout his successful and varied career, Eric has filled a variety of roles, but among his most cherished experiences has been teaching “Constitutional and Criminal Law” at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, from January, 2007 to December, 2015.
He has also been published multiple times and in 2015 and 2017 gave the following APEX Continuing Legal Education Lectures:
“United States Supreme Court Update on Constitutional Law” (Nov., 2015)
“Judicially Created Exceptions to Free Expressions” (Oct., 2017)
Of course, the role Eric has enjoyed the most in life has been as a loving father to his amazing and accomplished children. In his free time, Eric is a prolific reader, a huge movie buff, a golfer for most of his life (he was a caddie as a youth), and is regularly described by family, friends, and colleagues alike as one of the most honest and forthright people they know.
