Erik was born in Dumont, New Jersey, and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida in 1998. While at U.F., Erik was a member of the Criminology and Law Honor Society. Erik was also a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He subsequently received his Juris Doctorate degree in 2002 from Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was a Dean's List Scholar in the Fall of that year and a recipient of Academic Achievement Awards in Remedies and Advanced Legal Research. Erik also served as Manuscript Editor of the Law Review and was a teaching assistant for Legal Research and Writing.

Erik is admitted to practice before all Florida state courts, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.