From Advocate to Advisor: Erica Cline Reading on Leading Through Complexity in Oncology

For more than a decade, Erica Cline Reading built her career in the rigorous world of litigation at Morgan Lewis’s Philadelphia office. Today, as Chief Commercial Counsel for Genitourinary Cancer at Pfizer, her work unfolds at the intersection of science, regulation, business strategy, and patient impact.

The throughline between those chapters of her career is not geography or title—it is proximity. A steady movement toward where decisions are shaped.

“I loved practicing at Morgan Lewis,” Erica says. “I had tremendous respect for the rigor of the work and the people I learned from.”

From 2004 to 2017, she developed as a litigator in an environment defined by high expectations and disciplined thinking. Over time, she found herself increasingly drawn to the strategic decisions behind disputes: How were risks assessed upstream? How were business choices made? And how could legal counsel help shape outcomes before conflict ever emerged?

“It was really that shift from advocate to advisor that motivated me to go in-house,” she explains.

At Pfizer, she began as Global Products Counsel in the Inflammation and Immunology business unit. The move required adopting what she calls an entirely new strategic lens—one that demanded fluency not only in law but also in science, data, and cross-functional collaboration.

That experience eventually led her to oncology, first in breast cancer and now leading the legal support for the Genitourinary Cancer portfolio. Oncology, she notes, is one of the company’s most dynamic and meaningful areas.

Every year in the United States, about 2 million people receive a new cancer diagnosis. Globally, it’s 20 million.

Her current role centers on guiding oncology-marketed products and investigational assets as they move through the latter stages of development and commercialization. The work is complex and highly regulated, requiring strategic foresight and precision.

“I spend a lot of time partnering with commercial, medical, and clinical development leaders to translate complexity into clarity,” she says. “Helping clients make confident decisions that drive progress and deliver meaningful impact for patients.”

Her days rarely follow a script. Priorities shift depending on what the business—or her team—needs most. As her role has evolved, leadership has become increasingly central. She leads a team of attorneys navigating the lifecycle of oncology products, creating an environment where they feel supported, challenged, and inspired.

Some call it managing the matrix. For Erica, it’s about relationships—bringing together professionals with different expertise to help solve difficult problems.

The scientific dimension of her work keeps her intellectually engaged. Oncology is data-driven and constantly evolving. “I’m always learning,” she says. “There’s new data coming out all the time, and I need to understand what it may mean for patients.”

She jokes that she once thought she had left her math skills behind in law school—only to rediscover them at Pfizer in the form of P-values and confidence intervals. “And I love it,” she says.

Looking back, she credits Morgan Lewis with instilling both resilience and perspective.

“My time there taught me how to work hard and develop grit,” she reflects. “And over time, I’ve developed into striving for both grit and grace.”

The firm’s emphasis on collaboration also left a lasting mark. Success, she learned early on, is built on trust, respect, and shared accountability—principles she sees reflected in Pfizer’s legal division.

For lawyers just starting their careers, her advice is both practical and human: build strong fundamentals—analytical rigor, clear communication, sound judgment—and be willing to work hard when it matters most. Just as important, treat everyone with respect.

“Whether someone’s an attorney, a legal professional, facilities, or staff—they are equally important to an organization’s success,” she says. “How you treat people really defines what kind of leader you’re going to become.”

Ultimately, Erica defines success simply: impact and integrity.

“It’s knowing that I’ve contributed in meaningful ways, built trusted relationships, and left things stronger than I found them.”

In oncology, where the stakes are measured in lives, that definition carries particular weight. And in tracing her path from litigation associate to senior in-house leader, the foundation remains unmistakable: rigor, relationships, and a willingness to step into complexity.

Read the full conversation on our Alumni Portal.
Learn more about our culture and career opportunities.