Cited Authorities

5 Episodes
Subscribe

By: Alexander Powell

Behind every successful legal career is a series of decisions that never made it onto a résumé. Cited Authorities features conversations with accomplished lawyers, and the leaders who shape their field, about career inflection points, professional judgment, reputation, leadership, and the real stories behind professional success.Excellent legal careers are not accidents. Hear the stories of how they were built.

Ellis Duncan: Leading Georgetown Law's Graduate Tax Program
#4
Last Wednesday at 11:00 PM

Ellis Duncan is the Director of the Graduate Tax Program at Georgetown University Law Center. He built his tax career through Ernst & Young's M&A group in New York City and hedge fund work at Ropes & Gray. In 2011, Ellis had a networking meeting with Albert Lauber, then the director of Georgetown Law's Graduate Tax Program, to ask about transitioning into government. Ellis walked out with a job offer as Assistant Director of the Graduate Tax Program. After Judge Lauber was appointed to the United States Tax Court in 2013, Ellis became Director of the Graduate Tax Program.

In...


Robert C. Bonsib: 300+ Jury Trials & What They Don't Teach You in Law School
#3
04/01/2026

Robert C. Bonsib is the co-founder of MarcusBonsib and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has tried more than 300 jury trials across state and federal courts, beginning his career as a prosecutor in Prince George's County, Maryland, in 1974. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney, and as Deputy State's Attorney under the Honorable Alexander Williams Jr., before entering private practice. He is a recipient of the Heeney Award for Lifetime Excellence in Criminal Law.

In this episode, Bob discusses his five decades as a criminal law practitioner, the art of cross-examination, and...


Lisa D. Sparks – First in Her Family, First in Her Class
#2
03/18/2026

Lisa D. Sparks was the first person in her family to graduate from high school. At age 22, she graduated from law school as valedictorian. She built a construction litigation practice, served as a JAG captain, and guided a software company through a private equity buyout as general counsel. Lisa walked into her first day at a 1,000-employee construction firm expecting to be in-house counsel, only to learn she was now the Chief Administrative Officer. In this episode of Cited Authorities, Lisa reflects on her path as a first-generation attorney who graduated during the Great Recession, how she built a...


CBS 48 Hours Couldn't Get This Interview – Christopher J. Monte | Joseph Shymanski Murder Case
#1
03/04/2026

CBS asked for this interview. They couldn't get it. Cited Authorities did. You may have seen the recent 48 Hours episode on the murder of Joseph Shymanski in Calvert County, Maryland. CBS, 48 Hours: My Uncle Joe's Murder (aired Oct. 18, 2025). Cited Authorities Host Alexander Powell's friend, former classmate, and former co-worker Christopher J. Monte successfully prosecuted that case. Before he became an award-winning homicide prosecutor, Chris was a classical musician in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In this exclusive interview and series premiere of Cited Authorities, Alex and Chris discuss Chris's path from music to law, their time working together as prosecutors...


Season One Preview
02/23/2026

Cited Authorities is a new interview series hosted by Washington, DC tax attorney and former prosecutor Alexander Powell. Behind every successful legal career is a series of decisions that never made it onto a résumé. Every episode we talk to accomplished attorneys to hear those stories. Season One guests include: Rod Rosenstein, Partner at Baker McKenzie, Former Deputy Attorney General of the United States; Pamela Gilbert, Partner at Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, Former Executive Director and Presidential Transition Team Lead, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; Ellis Duncan, Director of the Graduate Tax Program at Georgetown University Law Center; an...