Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Eric Bland is the Founder and Partner of Bland, Ritcher LLP and is a renowned malpractice attorney. He gained national recognition for being a part of the Alex Murdaugh case and a popular podcast called Cup of Justice.
- The Murdaugh trial had captivated the nation’s attention due to its gruesome nature, with attorney Alex Murdaugh being convicted of murdering his wife and son.
Personal Life : Parents, Family and Education
- Eric grew up in Philadelphia as the youngest of three brothers. His father, a salesman, commuted two and a half hours by car to New York City each day.
- The family relocated to South Carolina when Eric was sixteen.
- When he was a ninth grader, Eric only weighed 98 pounds and was an easy target for school bullies. A friend advised Eric to start working out so he can defend himself and that marked a turning point in his life.
- He developed discipline when weightlifting and started getting serious about his life. The bullying stopped and his focus improved which led to better academic performance.
- In 1988, Eric married his wife, Renee after a whirlwind romance during his college years. They’ve been happily married for over 35 years, raising two children, Davis and Sydney, who are now grown up. Renee and Eric had first met during Eric’s time at the University of South Carolina School of Law while Renee was in her senior year at the USC School of Business.
- From 1981 to 1985, Eric attended the University of Tampa and graduated second in class with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science.
- After that he got this law degree from University of South Carolina School of Law and graduated in 1988 in the top 10% of the class.
- In his personal life, Eric enjoys various physical hobbies, including golf, snow skiing, triathlons, and daily weightlifting.
Legal Career, Salary and Net Worth :
- The biggest law firm in Philly hired Eric right after he finished school with a very high salary and he was elated. However, he realized soon that corporate law in Philly wasn’t how he imagined it would be and lost interest in it. He moved back to South Carolina after a few years.
- Back in South Carolina, Bland opened his own practice and landed a couple of big initial clients.
- In 1994, Eric got a call from a lawyer who asked if he would be willing to sue another lawyer. He agreed to it and recovered the 100,000 dollars that was taken from his laywer client.
- He soon started to take a liking to legal malpractice and it was around this time that he had developed a relationship with current law partner Ronnie Richter.
- In 2011, Eric represented professional wrestler Rick Flair and negotiated his last contract directly with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. He represented archaeologist and author Lee Spence in a lawsuit over who had the right to claim discovery of the Hunley.
- Zachary Hammond, an unarmed 19-year-old was shot and killed by a police officer in a Hardee’s parking lot circa 2015. Eric represented the family in a civil suit against the city of Seneca, South Carolina which settled for $2.15 million. His national popularity began to rise with the Hammond case.
- Eric represented Gloria Satterfield’s family when they sued attorney Alec Murdaugh for stealing settlement money that was worth millions. During the trial, the actual amount was discovered to be 4.3$ million.
- The Satterfield family and Bland and Richter started a self-sustaining foundation, Gloria’s Gift, in her honor. Through the foundation, underprivileged children in Hampton County receive Christmas gifts every year.
- Eric is in what he calls the fourth quarter of his career. Recently, Bland and Richter closed their Columbia office and relocated to Main Street, Lexington.
- The first episode of his podcast, Cup of Justice, hit number one in the world for true crime and has consistently been in the top 75 since its debut.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Eric’s grandparents changed their last name from Bladstein to Bland in the 1950s to avoid discrimination.
- In October 2011, Eric was selected as one of the top ten most outstanding Business Law attorneys in the Midlands of South Carolina.
- Hulu is doing a movie on the Murdaugh trials and if Eric had his way, he would liked to be played by actor Andy Garcia. Eric has also been featured in more than 7,500 newspaper articles and participated in numerous interviews during the Murdaugh trial.
- How tall is Eric Bland Height : 5′10″ (confirmed in a tweet by him)