Tax Controversy Attorney · Washington, D.C. & Maryland
Alexander Powell
Host & Producer, Cited Authorities · Former Prosecutor
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, 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 People in Tax.
At a glance
- Tax attorney based in Washington, D.C., and Maryland
- Former prosecutor: 75+ cases tried to verdict, 100+ appellate opinions drafted
- Spoke at the ABA Tax Section national conference on civil and criminal tax penalties, alongside attorneys from the IRS, Kirkland & Ellis, Holland & Knight, Vinson & Elkins, and Barnes & Thornburg
- Co-host, ABA Section of Taxation’s People in Tax Podcast
- Host and producer, Cited Authorities
- Member: ABA Section of Taxation; Barristers of DC; Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Cited Authorities
Alexander founded and hosts Cited Authorities, a legal interview series on the career paths and professional judgment behind a life in law. Guests include former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein; former IRS Chief of Communications and Liaison Terry Lemons; U.S. Tax Court Special Counsel Francesca Ugolini; Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer; and the directors of the graduate tax programs at Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Baltimore School of Law. New episodes release every other Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Writing
- Year in Review: Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties
- Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee: Fall 2025 Update
Recognition & speaking
- Cited in Law360 Tax Authority, “4 Ways Justices’ Jarkesy Ruling Could Affect Tax Controversy” (2025), for the co-authored ABA Section of Taxation Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee update analyzing the tax implications of SEC v. Jarkesy and the Sagoo decision, with Benjamin Tompkins (Nardiello Turanchik Tompkins) and Shan Kadkoy (Kostelanetz LLP).
- Presented “Year in Review: Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties” at the 2026 ABA May Tax Meeting in Washington, D.C.
- Co-host, ABA Section of Taxation People in Tax Podcast.