Schulte Roth & Zabel International (SRZ) announced the addition of Anna Maleva-Otto as a partner in the Investment Management Regulatory & Compliance Group. Maleva-Otto comes to SRZ from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and she previously served as an in-house counsel and compliance officer of a hedge fund.

SRZ’s UK practice continues to experience tremendous growth and, earlier this year, moved to a new, larger space at Crown Estate’s One Eagle Place. Maleva-Otto is the second partner to join the investment management practice this year, following the appointment of leading hedge fund lawyer Steven Whittaker as an investment management partner in February 2014. Prominent business reorganisation partners, Peter J.M. Declercq and Sonya Van de Graaff, who advise funds investing in the distressed space, joined the firm in 2013.

Admitted in both the UK and U.S., Maleva-Otto’s practice will focus on advising fund managers on regulatory and compliance matters, including the implications of the AIFMD, MiFID and EMIR.

“We are excited to have Anna join the firm. She is a leading lawyer who strengthens our transatlantic regulatory capabilities,” said Christopher Hilditch, head of the London practice, who advises a wide range of institutional and entrepreneurial managers on structuring and establishing investment funds.

“Anna is recognised for her regulatory expertise and market knowledge. She will be a wonderful addition to our team, which advises on the latest regulatory developments impacting the alternative investment industry,” commented Marc E. Elovitz, chair of the Investment Management Regulatory & Compliance Group.

“Anna’s regulatory advice will be a critical component in our representation of fund managers, as government oversight continues to grow with the implementation of key reforms,” commented Alan S. Waldenberg, chair of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Tax Group.

Maleva-Otto received her J.D. from Emory University School of Law.

Schulte Roth & Zabel is a full-service law firm with offices in London, New York and Washington, D.C., serving the financial services industry.