Alex E. Sadler

Partner

Alex Sadler represents clients in complex tax controversies and litigation. He has litigated numerous tax cases in the US Tax Court, US Court of Federal Claims, and federal district and appellate courts, and has served clients in several extended tax trials. Alex has also helped clients resolve tax disputes in audits and administrative appeals with the Internal Revenue Service.

A focus of Alex’s practice is the research and development tax credit—a valuable corporate tax incentive. Alex is the author of the treatise “Legal Guide to the Research Credit” published by Thomson Reuters® and is a frequent speaker on the topic. He has litigated several research credit cases and helped clients resolve research credit issues with the IRS without litigation.

Alex was formerly a trial attorney with the Tax Division of the US Department of Justice, where he received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award.

He has served as chair and vice chair of the DC Bar’s Tax Audits and Litigation Committee and is listed in Chambers USA, Washingtonian Top Lawyers Guide, and Washington DC Super Lawyers.

Note: This list includes engagements completed prior to joining Morgan Lewis.

Approximately 50 cases in US Tax Court involving a disputed welfare benefit arrangement
Research credit litigation in federal district court involving a pharmaceutical manufacturer
US Tax Court case involving business expenses of overseas business
US Court of Federal Claims litigation regarding a transportation company’s entitlement to interest netting
Litigation in DC Superior Court Tax Division to enforce a client’s settlement agreement with the Office of Tax and Revenue
Litigation in federal district and appellate court regarding an engineering firm’s entitlement to the research credit
US Tax Court case involving accounting treatment for an aerospace manufacturer’s research and development costs
US Tax Court litigation regarding a chemical manufacturer’s entitlement to the research credit
Freedom of Information Act litigation in federal district court
Litigation in US Court of Federal Claims and federal circuit court in connection with a disputed partnership transaction
US Tax Court case regarding a disputed leasing transaction
Federal district court litigation regarding taxpayers’ claims of identity privilege
US Tax Court litigation involving gift and generation-skipping deficiency determinations
Litigation in federal district and appellate courts regarding corporate-owned life insurance programs
Litigation in federal district courts involving employment taxes, penalties, fraudulent conveyance, summons enforcement, and other business tax issues

University of Virginia School of Law, 1994, J.D.
University of Virginia, 1991, B.S., Finance

District of Columbia
Maryland
US Tax Court
US Court of Federal Claims
US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
US District Court for the District of Columbia
US District Court for the District of Maryland

Publications

Events

Listed, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Tax Lawyers, Washington, DC, Tax, Controversy, Litigation (2025)

Highly Regarded, Tax Controversy, District of Columbia, International Tax Review's World Tax Guide (2025)

Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law, Washington, DC (2022–2026)

Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation and Controversy - Tax, Washington, DC (2023–2026)

Ranked, Tax, District of Columbia, Chambers USA (2010–2025)

Recommended, Tax - US Taxes - Contentious, The Legal 500 US (2017, 2019–2025)

Member, Practice Group of the Year, Tax, Law360 (2017)

Recognized, Washington DC Super Lawyers (2016)

Recognized, Washingtonian Top Lawyers Guide (2015)

Chair, Tax Audits & Litigation Committee, Tax Section, DC Bar (2014–2016)

Vice Chair, Tax Audits & Litigation Committee, Tax Section, DC Bar (2012–2014)

Member, Tax Section, American Bar Association

Member, Tax Section, Federal Bar Association

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