FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Carl Circo and Uché Ewelukwa Ofodile have been named as the Ben J. Altheimer Professor of Legal Advocacy and the Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor of Law, respectively. Circo's three-year term began Jan. 1 and Ofodile was selected for the one-year appointment for the second consecutive year.

"We are very grateful to the benefactors who make these professorships possible," said Stacy Leeds, dean of the School of Law. "These prestigious appointments allow us to properly recognize faculty members and fund their continued excellence in teaching, scholarship and community outreach."

Endowed professorships serve a vital role in supporting the university's mission. Funds from the endowed professorships go toward attracting and retaining high-caliber faculty as well as supporting their research and outreach.

Circo came to the university in 2003 after more than 20 years in private practice where he focused on real estate matters, business transactions and construction law. He has been a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers since 1993, and he has held leadership positions in sections and committees of the American Bar Association and state bar associations. He has served as the school's associate dean for academic affairs since 2011.

As Altheimer Professor, Circo will select the judges for the annual Ben J. Altheimer Moot Court Competition, which provides second-year law students the opportunity to practice both oral advocacy and writing skills in an appellate advocacy competition. The professorship was created through a gift from the Ben J. Altheimer Charitable Foundation.

Ofodile teaches international law, intellectual property and in the school's Master of Laws in agriculture and food law. She took part in the United Nation's Peer Review Meeting on the World Investment Report 2015 and is an active member of the American Bar Association Section on International Law. She holds leadership positions in several organizations, including co-chair of the Committee on Investment and Development, vice-chair of the International Intellectual Property Rights Committee and secretary general of the African Society of International Law and others.

School of Law faculty members are selected as the Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor of Law based on outstanding teaching and excellence in scholarship in Arkansas law. During their one-year appointments, they are expected to contribute to the legal profession in Arkansas by building strong relationships between the faculty and state's bench and bar. The professorship was created through a gift from the Arkansas Bar Foundation.