Erik Felix Dyhrkopp

Erik was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 23, 1965. He was a 1983 graduate of Jesuit High School and served on its National Advisory Board and as part of its National Advisory Board Endowment Challenge. Erik majored in Philosophy at the University of New Orleans, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in 1987. Erik then attended the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree in 1990. Erik was an Articles Editor for the Northwestern University Law Review from 1988-90. Erik also represented Northwestern in 1988-89 at the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, the world’s largest interschool moot court competition that has been held annually for the past 65 years. He was admitted to the state bar of Illinois in 1990.

Erik served as the law clerk for Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain of the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Portland, Oregon from 1993-94. He then clerked for Judge K. Michael Moore of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, Florida from 1994-95.

Later, Erik became an equity partner at Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP in Chicago, where he was a member of the Antitrust Department. Erik successfully represented the California Dental Association in the United States Supreme Court, prevailing in the case California Dental Association v. Federal Trade Commission, 526 U.S. 756 (1999). In addition to antitrust matters, Erik focused his practice on distribution law and complex commercial litigation. Erik ultimately became Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Americas for Robert Bosch LLC, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH. After a long and distinguished legal career, Erik retired in January 2025.

Erik loved Mardi Gras and became a member of the Krewe of Thoth in 2013.

Erik is preceded in death by his brother, Neil William Dyhrkopp. He is survived by his wife, Diane Ferguson; his mother, Gayle Dyhrkopp, and her companion, Harry Wood; his father, Felix Grover Dyhrkopp and his wife, Pamela; his sons, Zachary (Phoebe) and Lucas (Rwitika); his daughter, Alana; and many cousins, friends, and family members.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 10-11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church at 120 South State Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104. A funeral service will follow.

Erik will be laid to rest in New Orleans on a future date beside his brother and grandparents.