Jeffrey Symons Barton LLP has added a former BigLaw attorney as a mergers and acquisitions partner in its New York office.

Jeffrey Symons was previously a partner at several firms in the top 100 in terms of revenue, including Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Jones Day and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, the firm said in a Thursday announcement. Symons joins directly from tech-driven Pierson Ferdinand LLP, where he worked for six months after a stint at Foley & Lardner LLP.

Symons told Law360 Pulse Friday in an emailed statement that Barton was appealing because of the breadth and quality of the platform, its collaborative, entrepreneurial culture and its commitment to client service.

"Moving to a smaller full-service firm, where I could really get to know and work with all of my partners, was also very appealing," he said.

Symons has represented corporations and private equity firms on transactions with an aggregate value of over $195 billion, according to the firm's announcement. He specializes in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity investments, restructurings, related-party transactions and corporate finance. He also advises clients on corporate governance, activism and fiduciary duty matters.

His practice involves transactions in industries spanning healthcare and pharmaceuticals, technology services, telecommunications, energy, transportation and air freight services, retail, financial services, manufacturing, and media and entertainment.

Symons said there are several positive trends in his space.

"While overall deal volume is down, the middle-market and lower-middle-market remain very active, with increased focus on domestic transactions for U.S. participants," he said.

Other trends include services that feed into and off of artificial intelligence, an increase in "roll-up activity" and private equity firms looking to dispose of assets — often to other PE firms, he added.

Roger E. Barton, managing partner of Barton LLP, said in a statement that Symons is the fourth BigLaw partner the firm has brought on this year.

"Jeff's deep transactional experience and industry knowledge further strengthen our ability to advise clients on their most significant deals," the managing partner said.

Barton is a midsize law firm based in New York with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Tennessee, and Richmond, Virginia.

Symons is a graduate of Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law in Halifax, Nova Scotia.