Schulte Roth & Zabel (SRZ) is pleased to announce the election of Antonio L. Diaz-Albertini, Seth R. Henslovitz, Seetha Ramachandran and Ji Hye You as partners. The firm also announces the promotion of Conrad Axelrod, Melissa G.R. Goldstein, Scott A. Heard and Jenny K. Needelman to special counsel. The promotions were effective Jan. 1, 2017.

Mr. Diaz-Albertini, Mr. Henslovitz, Ms. Ramachandran, Ms. You, Mr. Axelrod, Mr. Heard and Ms. Needelman are resident in the firm's New York office, and Ms. Goldstein is in the Washington, D.C. office.

"We are excited to recognize these highly skilled practitioners who have distinguished themselves as leading lawyers in the industry," said Alan S. Waldenberg, chair of the firm's Executive Committee. "These individuals are trusted advisers and we expect them to make outstanding contributions in their new roles."

PARTNERS

Antonio L. Diaz-Albertini, a partner in the Finance and M&A and Securities Groups, advises private equity funds, global investment banking firms, commercial banks and public and private corporations in finance transactions, including syndicated credit facilities, the issuance of secured and unsecured high-yield debt securities and the issuance of equity securities. He works on both the bank and high-yield aspects of acquisition financings, refinancings and out-of-court debt restructurings. Mr. Diaz-Albertini received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law and his B.S., magna cum laude, from Bryant University.

Seth R. Henslovitz, a partner in the Real Estate Group, concentrates on real estate transactions, including representing lenders and borrowers in connection with commercial mortgage and mezzanine financing, acquisitions and dispositions of mortgage and mezzanine debt, acquisitions and dispositions of commercial properties, workouts and restructurings and negotiation of joint venture agreements. His clients include real estate private equity funds, major financial and commercial lending institutions and developers, owners and operators of commercial office buildings, shopping centers, hotels, residential complexes, industrial properties and undeveloped land. Mr. Henslovitz received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his B.B.A., with distinction, from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Seetha Ramachandran, a partner in the Litigation Group, focuses on anti-money laundering (AML) and OFAC compliance, criminal and regulatory investigations and enforcement, internal investigations, and civil and criminal forfeiture matters. She represents individuals as well as a range of companies including hedge funds, private equity funds, banks, broker-dealers and money services businesses. She is a former Deputy Chief in the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section (AFMLS) of the DOJ, where she was the first head of the Money Laundering and Bank Integrity Unit and oversaw the first major AML prosecutions. She is also a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Ms. Ramachandran received her J.D. from Columbia Law School, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Brown University.

Ji Hye You, a partner in the Finance Group, focuses her practice on commercial and corporate finance transactions and representation of private equity funds, hedge funds, investment banks and borrowers in a wide range of domestic and cross-border financing transactions, including asset-based and cash-flow facilities, acquisition and leveraged finance facilities, working capital facilities, secured financings, syndicated credit facilities and subordinated debt financings. Ms. You received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her B.S., with distinction, from Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration.

SPECIAL COUNSEL

Conrad Axelrod, a special counsel in the Investment Management Group, focuses on the formation and structuring of private equity and alternative investment funds, with a particular emphasis on real estate, credit and infrastructure funds. He received his LL.M. from the Humboldt University of Berlin and his LL.B. and B.Sc. from the University of Tasmania.

Melissa G.R. Goldstein, a special counsel in the Bank Regulatory Group, advises financial institutions on matters involving federal and state regulatory compliance, in particular those involving AML matters regulated under the USA PATRIOT Act and Bank Secrecy Act. She is a former attorney-advisor with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). She received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her B.S., with honors, from Cornell University.

Scott A. Heard, a special counsel in the Finance Group, focuses on representing agents, lenders and borrowers in a variety of domestic and cross-border financing transactions, including asset-based and cash flow financings, first lien, second lien and first-out/last-out financings, acquisition financings, debtor-in-possession and exit financings, and debt restructurings and workouts. He received his J.D. from University of Buffalo School of Law.

Jenny K. Needelman, a special counsel in the Individual Client Services Group, has extensive experience advising clients on a broad array of matrimonial issues, from the valuation and allocation of substantial and complex assets, to the most productive parenting arrangement for minor children. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from Harvard College.

About Schulte Roth & Zabel

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP (www.srz.com) is a full-service law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C. and London. As one of the leading law firms serving the financial services industry, the firm regularly advises clients on corporate and transactional matters, as well as providing counsel on regulatory, compliance, enforcement and investigative issues. The firm's practices include: bank regulatory; bankruptcy & creditors' rights litigation; broker-dealer regulatory & enforcement; business reorganization; complex commercial litigation; cybersecurity; distressed debt & claims trading; distressed investing; education law; employment & employee benefits; energy; environmental; finance; financial institutions; hedge funds; individual client services; insurance; intellectual property, sourcing & technology; investment management; litigation; mergers & acquisitions; PIPEs; private equity; real estate; real estate capital markets & REITs; real estate litigation; regulated funds; regulatory & compliance; securities & capital markets; securities enforcement; securities litigation; securitization; shareholder activism; structured finance & derivatives; tax; and white collar defense & government investigations.