Amelia Smith Rinehart is the 18th Dean of the West Virginia University College of Law. She was previously the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and a Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, whose faculty she joined in 2010 following two years as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Florida State University. 

Prior to entering the legal academy, Dean Rinehart practiced law for several years at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe L.L.P. in New York, and Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she specialized in intellectual property litigation, procurement, and counseling. She is a registered patent attorney and her scholarship focuses on patent law and theory.

Dean Rinehart received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2002. She received a Master of Science in biomedical engineering from Tulane University in 1997, and a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering, summa cum laude, with Departmental Honors from Tulane University in 1996. Prior to attending law school, Dean Rinehart worked as an engineer at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Dean Rinehart teaches Contracts, Patent Law, Intellectual Property Survey, and Leadership and the Law. She lives in Morgantown with her two children and enjoys  reading, live music, and outdoor trails.