The Legal Lens: Episode 3
Inside The Pharma Legal Lab
- Guest: Priyanka Mukherjee, Legal Director, Pfizer Limited
- Host: Dr. Himanshu Puri, Co-Founder, Legitquest
In this episode, we’re joined by Priyanka Mukherjee, Legal Director at Pfizer Limited, India, with 16 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She has a background in leading legal teams and is an expert in employment, labor laws, and corporate legal affairs. Her experience includes managing complex litigation, intellectual property protection, mergers and acquisitions, and contract negotiations. Priyanka was nominated for a 2024 General Counsel Award by Pfizer Inc. for developing an AI legal podcast series and has been recognized as the "Third Best Pfizer Global Lawyer". She is also a contributor to Pfizer's Diversity & Equity and AI in Law Committees and is a frequent speaker at conferences on legal risk mitigation.
Inside The Pharma Legal Lab
1. Introduction
In this episode, you’ll hear an overview of Legitquest and the vision behind The Legal Lens podcast. Priyanka shares her professional journey and motivation for building a legal career in the pharmaceutical industry.
2. Career Journey
We’ll explore her career journey, highlighting key transitions and experiences that shaped her approach to legal strategy. Priyanka also reflects on the evolving role of legal leaders in the life sciences.
3. Legal Team Operations
Next, we’ll delve into legal team operations in pharma, examining how in-house legal teams operate across various verticals. We’ll discuss managing compliance, contracts, and cross-functional alignment, as well as key checkpoints in vendor onboarding and due diligence.
4. How It’s Done: Risk Mitigation
Priyanka provides real-world insights on mitigating regulatory and contractual risks, explaining how legal teams ensure compliance when collaborating with external vendors and stakeholders. She also discusses building proactive frameworks to anticipate and prevent issues.
5. Tech Adoption in Pharma Legal
We’ll then explore the impact of technology on legal operations in the pharmaceutical sector. Priyanka discusses the shift from traditional document review to intelligent workflow automation and shares her perspective on AI-powered solutions for contract management, litigation tracking, and compliance reporting.
6. AI Tools and Legal Tech Solutions
We’ll also discuss how platforms like LIBIL by Legitquest simplify legal due diligence and reduce turnaround time through structured data and automation.
7. AI in Law: The Future Ahead
Finally, we’ll examine the future of AI in law, exploring how it is redefining legal operations across industries. Priyanka emphasises the importance of human oversight, ethical boundaries, and adaptability in the face of AI-driven change. She shares her vision for the future of legal leadership in an AI-driven world.
Key Takeaways
- Key takeaways from this episode include the importance of a fine balance of innovation, risk awareness, and regulatory discipline in the pharmaceutical industry. Priyanka highlights the strategic role of technology and AI in modern legal teams, and she emphasises the value of solutions like LIBIL in empowering legal professionals to conduct faster, more reliable due diligence. Ultimately, she envisions a future where human intelligence, ethical AI, and continuous learning work together to shape the future of legal work.
