My name is Lee Vandevort, and I was born in Sacramento, CA. I am a sixth-generation native Californian. I attended high school in Auburn, NE, and then USC for architecture and civil engineering. I work at Construction Claims International where I provide dispute finance to large contractors involved with public works projects. What I love most about my job is helping cash-strapped companies with their cash flow to finish jobs. 

Thirty years ago, I sponsored a lunch with about 25 construction lawyers and presented the concept of dispute/litigation financing. They all said that paying for the prosecution of claims could not be done and was against champerty laws. It turned out to be the genesis of the field of litigation finance. The biggest career challenge I’ve had to overcome is fundraising. I am very proud to hear others talk about their successes in the litigation finance space and to know that the concept started with construction. My future career goal is to deploy $500M annually in the construction space. To the best of my knowledge, I am the first to do it. 

I joined AACE in the late 80’s. I was doing scheduling, and this organization helped me by providing the framework for best practices. The best thing about being an AACE member is meeting with people who are involved in a niche and learning more about best practices. It’s great to make connections and learn while funding companies in the claims and project control areas so they can prosper.  

If you are just starting out in the field, keep in mind that it is a growing field and one that affects companies’ bottom lines. Companies are seeing that project control is not just overhead but the department that drives profit. Construction companies should be profitable and not the financing source for government projects.