By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
In his previous work as assistant general counsel of Chrysler Group LLC, José Ceppi worked on the auto giant’s bankruptcy, attending numerous meetings in Washington, D.C. that often went into the late night.
“But the stakes were so high that we were very awake, no matter the hour of the day,” he said. “We also did not know whether the company would make it through or be liquidated, which made the process very intense and difficult for all involved.”
“It was a wonderful outcome, as we all know now,” Ceppi added. “Being at Chrysler from early 1997 to 2014 was like being in a roller coaster, but no question it was a wonderful professional experience that I would not change for any other.”
Ceppi now brings his extensive experience to Miller Canfield, joining the Troy office as Of Counsel in the firm’s International and Automotive practices.
“I enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with smart people from all over the world,” he said.
Fluent in Spanish, and with some knowledge of Italian and French, Ceppi specializes in international distribution, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate and commercial law, corporate governance, international transactions, joint ventures, franchising and complex U.S. legal regulations including export controls and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
His particular focus is on Mexico and Latin American markets, where he has handled significant matters in virtually every major country over the past two decades.
A member of the International Bar Association, Ceppi also is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Latin American Bar Activities and International Section, and a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association where he previously served on the board.
His stellar career got under way with an undergrad degree in business administration and management from Towson University in Maryland, where he was a member of the student senate.
“My father was an economist by training, so from a young age, I became interested in business related topics,” Ceppi said.
A business law class taught by a practicing lawyer was one of his favorite undergrad courses, and led him to consider a law career.
He went on to earn his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of the Moot Court Team, and served as editor of law and policy in international business.
After clerking for U.S. District Judge Marvin H. Shoob, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Ceppi spent more than 10 years in senior level positions with the federal government in Washington, D.C.
In 1985, he was honored with a Distinguished Service Award by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. He also spent four years as Assistant General Counsel of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
“I enjoyed being able to work to recover assets of failed banks on behalf of the taxpayers,” he says.
In a later position for a large law firm in Phoenix, where he handled transactions dealing with Mexico, Ceppi was contacted by a recruiter on behalf of Chrysler Group for a position in its international legal team dealing with Latin America.
“It seemed like the perfect job for my budding interest in Latin America,” he said. “I enjoyed the fast pace and wonderful people with whom I got to work.”
Ceppi handled legal matters in Chrysler’s international operations, and provided strategic advice and counsel to senior management.
Instrumental in the expansion of its international distribution operations to more than 100 markets throughout the world, he represented Chrysler, or its affiliates, in major commercial and corporate matters across the globe.
Those matters included joint venture agreements, acquisitions, divestitures, arbitrations, distribution agreements, licensing, government negotiations, regulatory matters, competition and legal compliance issues.
He traveled widely, giving periodic training presentations on U.S. Legal Compliance Training to managers and key employees at foreign subsidiaries in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Mexico, South Africa, and Venezuela.
The native of Santiago, Chile, also has traveled widely around the U.S., moving to Washington, D.C. with his family at the age of 15. Since then, ,he has lived in the Maryland cities of Baltimore and Rockville, and in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, and Phoenix.
He and his wife Carmen — parents to four children ranging in age from 22 to 31 — currently live in Rochester Hills, where Ceppi volunteers at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
In his leisure time, he is an avid runner; and a member of the Detroit Swiss Society and a board member of Club Chileno de Michigan.
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