Eric Rinehart

Eric Rinehart is the newly elected Lake County State’s Attorney who took office in December 2020. Eric campaigned on an agenda of devoting more resources to tackling violent crime and implementing restorative justice on non-violent cases. Eric believes that we can make our communities safer and our courthouse fairer by treating the long-term causes of crime and by intentionally working to end systemic sexism, racism, and classism.

Eric went to Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and graduated in 1998. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 2001, Eric worked at a small civil litigation firm.

In 2003, Eric started working in Lake County at the public defender’s office. From 2003 to 2008, Eric handled hundreds of criminal cases on behalf of the indigent of Lake County. From 2008 until his recent election, Eric worked in private practice where he continued to focus on criminal cases, appeals, and administrative agency matters.

Over his career, Eric has been the first chair on over 70 jury trials that went to verdict and has argued in the appellate and Supreme Courts of Illinois.

Eric lives in the Highwood area with his wonderful wife Stephanie and their two rambunctious twins, Sam and Teddy.