Carvan was born in Abilene, Texas and obtained his B.B.A. degree from Baylor University and his M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Texas Tech University. His practice consists primarily in two general areas of representation, counsel to public entities and employment law addressing employment issues and disputes from the job interview to post-termination litigation.

Carvan serves as General Counsel to several MHDD Community Centers, the Texas Council of Community Centers and local Workforce Development Boards. He serves as the City Attorney for several North Texas cities. The position of general counsel to public entities necessarily involves addressing a variety of legal issues on behalf of the public entities and their employees. In the area of employment law, he has represented clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Texas Commission on Human Rights, the United States Merit Systems Protection Board, and the State and Federal courts of Texas. He also regularly provides training on Open Meetings Act issues, roles and responsibilities of government officials and various other subjects pertinent to governmental entities.