Travis M. Cavanaugh Member

Contact Information

(319) 896-4133 (319) 366-1917 tcavanaugh@spmblaw.com Cedar Rapids, IA

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Victoria Bauer

Legal Assistant

(319) 896-4092 vbauer@spmblaw.com

Practice Area

Bar Admissions

State of Iowa, 2012

Education

University of Iowa College of Law, JD with Distinction, 2012
University of Iowa, BBA, 2007
- Accounting
- Management Information Sciences

Travis Cavanaugh advises individuals and business clients regarding estate and wealth transfer planning, general business and corporate law, and tax matters. Mr. Cavanaugh’s prior experience as a public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago provides useful insight into tax implications as it relates to personal and business succession planning, gift and estate tax planning, and general business transactions. In addition, Mr. Cavanaugh prepares estate tax returns, gift tax returns, and fiduciary income tax returns.

Corporate Transactions and Business Counseling. Mr. Cavanaugh advises businesses of all sizes and their owners and officers regarding entity organization, operations, governance, reorganization, and tax and succession planning, which includes the review, negotiations and drafting of contracts related to mergers, sales and purchases of assets or stock, reorganizations, redemptions and buy-sell agreements.

Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Probate and Wealth Transfer. Mr. Cavanaugh advises clients regarding gift and estate tax planning, succession planning for family businesses and charitable gifting. In addition, he drafts wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, premarital agreements and estate and gift tax returns.

Probate. To help clients after the loss of a family member. Mr. Cavanaugh assists clients with the administration of trusts and estates and works to resolve trust and estate controversies.

Taxation. Mr. Cavanaugh advises individual and business clients regarding the tax aspects (income, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer) of proposed business transactions, pass-through entities (limited liability companies, partnerships and S corporations) and estate planning techniques.

Honors & Awards

Heart of America Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 2024 Graduate
Included in Chambers USA High Net Worth Up and Coming, 2024
Included in the Best Lawyers in America® list, 2025
- Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Trusts and Estates
Included in Great Plains Super Lawyers list, 2024
- Estate & Probate
Included in Great Plains Super Lawyers Rising Star list, 2014-2022
- Estate & Probate
Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Program (CLP) Graduate, 2015

Professional & Community Affiliations

Professional Memberships

Iowa Academy of Trust & Estate Counsel, Member
Cedar Rapids Area Estate Planning Council, Member
- Past, Board of Directors
Iowa State Bar Association
- Probate, Trust & Estate Planning Law Section
  - Trust Code Committee
- Business Law Section
Linn County Bar Association

Community Involvement

United Way of East Central Iowa
- Former Member, Financial Stability Solutions Team

Publications & Presentations

Publication

Author, Iowa Can do Better than the Affiliate Tax: A Proposal for an Intermediary Tax, 97 Iowa L. Rev. 567 (2012)

2022 Presentation

Gift Tax Returns, ISBA Bloethe Tax School, 12/1/2022
Tips for Gift Tax Returns, ISBA Probate CLE, 9/15/2022

2019 Presentations

Estate Planning Basics, First Presbyterian Church, 9/30/19
Step-Up Basis Rules and Planning, Iowa State Bar Association Webinar, 4/17/19

2018 Presentation

Estate Planning Basics, Financing of Caregiving, Family Caregivers Center of Mercy, 3/14/18

2017 Presentations

Legislative Update: 2017 Iowa Probate and Trust Law Changes, Annual Meeting of the Iowa State Bar Association, 6/20/17
Succession Planning for the Optional Aspects of Iowa Rule 39.18 Governing Succession Plans for Sole Practitioner Attorneys, Iowa State Bar Association Seminar, 4/10/17

2016 Presentations