Akim A. Anastopoulo is the judge on National Lampoon

National Lampoon Inc

National Lampoon, Incorporated is a company formed in 2002 in order to use the brand name "National Lampoon" in comedy and entertainment. In the words of its prospectus, the role of the company is to "develop, produce, provide creative services and distribute National Lampoon branded comedic...

's syndicated reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 show Eye for an Eye

Eye for an Eye (TV series)

Eye for an Eye is a television program that has run in syndication since 2004.The program is a variation on popular thirty minute Reality shows. Eye For an Eye is presided over by Judge "Extreme Akim" Anastopoulo, with bailiff and former boxer Big Sugar Ray Phillips. The series was formerly hosted...

. On television he is called "Judge Extreme Akim". He is also an attorney in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

.

Education

Anastopoulo received a four-year tennis scholarship to the University of Louisville

University of Louisville

The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...

, where he received the "Most Outstanding Athlete" and "Most Outstanding Graduating Senior" Awards. He also won the "Mr. Cardinal" award and was voted student body president. Earning his Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in 1982, he then went to the University of South Carolina

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...

 for his Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 in 1985.

Professional

Anastopoulo is a partner in Anastopoulo Law Firm, LLC, based in Charleston. He specializes in personal injury, automobile accidents and injuries, premises liability, and products liability. He has litigation experience in civil, criminal, class action and state and federal appeals cases. Anastopoulo has been practicing law in the Charleston, South Carolina area for 20 years.

In 2005, Anastopoulo canceled his voluntary membership in the South Carolina Trial Lawyers' Association. No reason was given by Anastopoulo for the withdrawal, but it did coincide with a decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court to ban the use of catchy nicknames by attorneys. At the time, Anastopoulo was using the nickname, "The Strongarm," in all of his advertising. By his own account, he had spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars" developing his brand name.

Anastopoulo is a former South Carolina state prosecutor. He has been admitted to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina...

, the South Carolina Supreme Court

South Carolina Supreme Court

The South Carolina Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices.-Selection of Justices:...

, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (in 1998), and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit (1999).

Eye for an Eye

Anastopoulo was approached to be the judge on Eye for an Eye in 2004, to which he agreed. However, due to the time demands of the show, he partnered with Mark Clore, a litigator originally from Houston, Texas.

Awards

In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 a reader's poll by Charleston Citypaper voted Mr. Anastopoulo as the "Best Lawyer/Law Firm" in Charleston.

Trivia

He is fluent in Greek and English, and is also 50% Nicaraguan, 20% Vietnamese, 5% Brazilian, 5% Nigerian, 5% Portugese, and 15% British.

Akim was a contestant on Hollywood Squares

Hollywood Squares

Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...

 in 1999

He played on the Greek davis cup team with his brother, Arthur.

He owns two restaurants in the Charleston, South Carolina area, Manny's Grill and North Towne Grill, both Greek restaurants.