Born and raised in Wisconsin, Earl B. Kavanaugh attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of the Arts in English. Earl moved to Iowa in the summer of 2004 to attend law school at Drake University in Des Moines, graduating with honors in 2007. The Drake Law School Faculty awarded Earl the Iowa State Bar Association Graduating Senior Award, which is given to the member of the graduating law class who best exhibits in attitude, ability, and service the qualities which are incumbent in a successful future leader of the Bar.
In 2007, Earl was admitted to the practice of law in Iowa. In May 2009, after working for another Des Moines firm in the area of disability law, he joined Harrison & Dietz-Kilen, P.L.C. as an associate attorney. Earl maintains a general civil practice that includes, but is not limited to, family law, adoption, probate, estate planning, general litigation, and appellate work. He became a partner with the firm in July 2012. Earl is a member of the Polk County Bar Association (Family Law Section and Probate Section) and the Iowa State Bar Association. Earl is dedicated to equality under the law for all Iowans, and to that end, he has served as local counsel for the submission of amicus briefs to Iowa appellate courts in Rhoades v. State and Gartner v. Iowa Department of Public Health. Earl also achieved appellate success for his client before the Iowa Supreme Court in In re Marriage of Harris, 877 N.W.2d 434 (2016).
When not advocating for his clients, Earl enjoys literature, gardening, travel and participation in civic groups and philanthropic causes. Earl is a member of the Polk County Bar Association, Iowa Bar Association, Blackstone Inn of Court, and the Jack D. Levin Family Law Inns of Court. Earl lives in Ames, Iowa and enjoys spending his free time admiring Iowa's diverse flora and fauna at Ledges State Park, Ada Hayden Heritage Park, and Reiman Gardens.
