Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Alexander Powell is a former prosecutor who first-chaired more than 75 cases to verdict and drafted more than 100 appellate opinions. He now devotes that experience to tax controversy. Alexander understands how the government builds and proves a case, having spent years doing both, and now applies that judgment on behalf of taxpayers. He represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service and examines novel questions emerging in both domestic and international tax controversy matters. He is the founder and host of Cited Authorities (citedauthorities.com), a long-form interview series with accomplished attorneys and leaders who shape the legal field. He also co-hosts the American Bar Association Tax Section's relaunch of the People in Tax podcast. He serves on the ABA Tax Section's Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee, has co-authored the Tax Section's updates for practitioners, and has spoken as a panelist at the Tax Section's flagship annual meeting. His writing on tax penalties has been cited in Law360 Tax Authority. Alexander welcomes conversations with tax practitioners and with prospective guests of both Cited Authorities and the People in Tax podcast.
Behind every successful career is a series of decisions that never made it onto a résumé. Cited Authorities features conversations with accomplished attorneys, and the leaders who shape their field, about career inflection points, professional judgment, reputation, leadership, and the real stories behind professional success. Excellent careers are not accidents. Hear the stories of how they were built.
• Serve as a judicial advisor for the entire Court, researching state and federal law to support judicial resolution of complex disputes involving tax law, corporate governance, criminal conspiracy, and commercial litigation. • Draft appellate opinions for civil and criminal cases, having written more than 100 to date, including reported decisions.
• Litigated more than 30 trials, including 9 jury trials to verdict, and mentored attorneys during additional bench and jury trials. • Secured favorable rulings in contested motion hearings, including a successful ruling later unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court of Maryland as a certified question of law.
• Prosecuted cases, including financial fraud schemes, as a trial attorney and managed a high-volume caseload. • Litigated more than 45 trials, including 7 jury trials to verdict.
• Drafted bench memoranda and judicial opinions addressing complex legal issues in both civil and criminal appeals before the state’s highest court.