Greenberg Traurig has hired Pinsent Masons partner and former Senior Fraud Office (SFO) prosecutor Anne-Marie Ottaway to its recently launched City white-collar, defence and special situations practice.

Ottaway joins Greenberg after six years as a partner at Pinsents, where she worked with the UK firm's former corporate crime head Barry Vitou, who moved to Greenberg earlier this year to launch the new practice for the US firm.

Prior to joining Pinsents, Ottaway spent 13 years at the SFO as a bribery and corruption case manager, with specific responsibility for corporate self-reporting. She is joining Greenberg with Pinsents associate Gareth Hall.

Vitou said: "Having Anne-Marie and Gareth join our team is an important milestone in the strategic growth of the practice, in response to clients, companies and individuals facing scrutiny from the US or foreign governments, who need an experienced team at a moment's notice, anywhere in the world."

He told Legal Week: "Our strategy is to have a top-ranked practice doing top-notch work. Big-ticket matters are increasingly likely to have a US dimension and will concentrate in firms with dual US and UK capabilities, which Greenberg definitely has."

Vitou added that the London team is already acting on active matters and wants to draw on the international capabilities at the firm, though said there is scope for additional London growth too.

He joined Greenberg earlier this year after seven years at Pinsents, where he co-founded its regulatory investigations and corporate crime practice.

Ottaway's hire is the second partner addition to Greenberg's City base in recent weeks, after last month's hire of tax partner Ben Eaton from US rival Goodwin.