John Ceccio

Primary Focus & Experience

Mr. Ceccio advises clients on antitrust and competition matters, including complex transactions, product counseling, government investigations and high-stakes private litigation. His relevant experience includes counseling firms and private equity sponsors on antitrust deal risks, managing HSR filings, implementing appropriate contractual risk-shifting provisions, negotiating and responding to second requests and developing strategic arguments for merger clearance and litigation. He has provided strategic guidance on product development and business strategies to firms in various industries, including technology, life sciences, healthcare and financial services.

Mr. Ceccio guides cutting-edge advancement across the technology, life science, healthcare and financial services sectors. By leveraging his deep understanding of emerging technologies such as AI, biotechnology therapies and advance medical devices and diagnostics, he assists clients in navigating complex regulatory landscapes and facilitating desired business outcomes. Mr. Ceccio bridges the gap between technology, business strategy and legal principles by translating multifaceted business and legal contexts to competition enforcers and adversaries.

As product counsel for a large technology firm, John addressed issues arising under various topics, such as competition law, interface design, privacy, product configurations, AI integration and contracting practices. He has collaborated with computer science and economic experts to develop litigation strategies related to AI, data and machine learning models.

Prior to joining Milbank, Mr. Ceccio was an associate at another leading law firm and was a full-time extern at the FTC’s Mergers IV division.

Select Tech Transactions:

• Represented Credit Karma in its $7.1 billion acquisition by Intuit, a deal that integrated Credit Karma’s consumer finance products, including free credit score monitoring and financial recommendations, into Intuit’s platform.*
• Represented Accurics in its acquisition by Tenable, enhancing Tenable’s security solutions by integrating Accurics infrastructure as code (IaC) security technology to prevent security risks in cloud-native environments.*
• Represented Project44 in its acquisition of Convey, expanding Project44’s logistics platform with Convey’s delivery experience management solutions, particularly in last-mile delivery.*
• Represented Project44 in its acquisition of Convey, expanding Project44’s logistics platform with Convey’s delivery experience management solutions, particularly in last-mile delivery.*
• Represented Cysiv in its acquisition by Forescout Technology, adding Cysivs threat detection and response capabilities to Forescout’s cybersecurity offerings.*
• Represented MaxLinear in its attempted $3.8 billion acquisition of Silicon Motion Technologies to expand its semiconductor solutions.*

Select Healthcare and Life Sciences Transactions:

• Represented Namocell in its acquisition by Bio-Techne, which enhanced Bio-Techne’s portfolio in cell and gene therapy by integrating Namocell’s single-cell sorting and dispensing products.*
• Represented IGM Biosciences in its exclusive worldwide collaboration agreement with Sanofi to create, develop, manufacture and commercialize IGM antibody agonists against three oncology targets and three immunology/inflammation targets.*
• Represented DTx Pharma in its acquisition by Novartis, bolstering Novartis’ gene therapy pipeline with DTx Pharma’s proprietary Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated Oligonucleotide (FALCON) platform for treating rare diseases.*
• Represented Amphastar in its acquisition of Eli Lilly’s BAQSIMI product, enhancing Eli Lilly’s portfolio with Amphastar’s injectable and inhalation products particularly in diabetes care.*
• Represented Bruker in its acquisition of Nanostring, focusing on enhancing Bruker’s spatial biology capabilities with Nanostring’s digital spatial profiling technology.*

Other Transactions:

• Represented Hostess Brands in its acquisiton by J/M. Smucker, a transaction that integrated Hostess’s iconic snack brands, such as Twinkies and Ding Dongs, into Smucker’s broader food portfolio.*
• Represented SmashCapital in its investment in TradingView, supporting TradingView’s growth in providing real-time charting tools and social network for traders and investors.*

Counseling:

• Served as in-house product counsel for a large technology firm, advising on competition law, privacy and consumer protection, including issues associated with AI integration, interface design, product configurations and contracting practices.*
• Counseled a large biopharmaceutical firm with respect to distribution, pricing and promotion strategies, as well as R&D and IP partnerships.*
• Advised a joint venture consortium in the retail industry related to potential acquisition of distributor.*

Litigation and Government Investigations:

• Represented a large technology firm against Section 2 Sherman Act claims brought by the US DOJ and State Attorneys General, focused on working closely with computer science and economic experts related technical issues in the case, including the use and value of data and artificial intelligence technologies.*
• Represented a large pharmaceutical company against pay-for-delay allegations.*
• Represented non-party in front of the FTC related to conduct in the social media industry.*
• Represented non-party electronics manufacturer in frnt of the FTC related to conduct in the home electronics industry.*
• Represented a firm in inmate calling services industry against Section 1 Sherman Act claims.*
• Represented multiple non-parties in the FTC’s challenge of the Tapestry/Coach transaction.*
• Represented a large generic pharmaceutical company in connections with various Section 1 Sherman Act claims.*

*Representation occurred prior to joining Milbank.

Recognition & Accomplishments

Mr. Ceccio is involved in various bar associations, including the American Bar Association (ABA), Hispanic Bar Association, and serves as a Young Lawyer Representative on the AI Antitrust Task Force of the ABA Antitrust Section. He received his B.A. from Amherst College, his MBA, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, and his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame