The Full Court decision
13 On appeal to the Full Court it was argued for the Receivers that the primary judge, amongst other things:
(a) was not entitled to consider the concept of proportionality in fixing the remuneration;
(b) made various errors in how she applied the concept of proportionality;
(c) erred in seeking partly to justify the 20% reduction based upon the delay in the proof of claim process;
(d) inappropriately applied a discount by reference to the absence of evidence that the adjudication process adopted was the most efficient;
(e) should have made specific findings as to what work she found necessary and appropriate to have been done by the Receivers, including at an appropriate rate of seniority rather than making a broad based reduction of the total amount claimed by the Receivers; and
(f) failed properly to consider and give sufficient weight to the fact that the Receivers had voluntarily reduced their claim for remuneration by 10%.
14 The Full Court rejected (a), (e), and (f) but held that the other contentions had some force. The reasons in summary were as follows.
15 The Full Court stated that the onus was on the Receivers to justify the reasonableness and prudence of the tasks undertaken. The Court is not obliged to make specific positive findings about the work necessary and appropriate to be done, the appropriate level of seniority and whether the work was done efficiently. The Court is entitled to take the practical course of looking at the matter more generally in assessing reasonableness and then applying, if thought necessary, any appropriate discounts. The Court observed at [60] that it is neither sensible nor cost effective for the Court, on reviewing the remuneration claimed, to proceed by some line by line analysis using some building blocks or bottom up approach to build up an amount which the Court then determines to be reasonable remuneration based upon detailed findings concerning those matters. The Full Court held at [60] that it was appropriate to take a broad approach and appropriately discount, without making any specific findings. The Full Court was critical of the primary judge for applying an overall discount without identifying the effect that specific issues had on the overall outcome.
16 The Full Court confirmed that the question of proportionality is a well-recognised and an important factor in considering the question of the reasonableness of the remuneration claimed but held that the primary judge had fallen into error in applying the concept. At [30]-[34], the Full Court stated:
Generally, the language of the Orders, and the context in which they were made, permit of proportionality being considered in order to assess the question of reasonable remuneration. Indeed, the question of proportionality is an anterior question to consider in order to determine whether time was reasonably spent. If the relevant work plan underpinning the actual time spent and the allocation of personnel at the requisite level of seniority was disproportionate to the nature, importance and complexity of the task and the benefit to be achieved from the task, then it might be said that the time spent on the task was not time reasonably spent.
The question of proportionality is a well recognised factor in considering the question of reasonableness. As the analogue of s 425(8) and like provisions expressly state, in having "regard to whether the remuneration is reasonable", the Court can take into account, inter alia, the quality and complexity of the work and the value and nature of any property dealt with as well as the question of time reasonably spent. Generally, an amalgam of the factors in s 425(8)(d), (e), (g) and (h) have as their unifying theme the concept of proportionality.
The question of proportionality in terms of the work done as compared with the size of the property or activity the subject of the insolvency administration or the benefit or gain to be obtained from the work is an important consideration in determining overall reasonableness: see In the matter of AAA Financial Intelligence Ltd (in liquidation) [2014] NSWSC 1004 at [18] and [19] per Brereton J, In the matter of AAA Financial Intelligence Ltd (in liquidation) (No 2) [2014] NSWSC 1270 at [35], [36], [43] and [45] per Brereton J, Mirror Group Newspapers plc v Maxwell [1998] 1 BCLC 638 at 645, 651, 652 per Ferris J (also reported at [1998] BCC 324), In the matter of On Q Group Ltd (in liquidation) [2014] NSWSC 1428 at [20] per Brereton J, Bank of Nova Scotia v Diemer [2014] ONCA 851 at [33], [45], [55] and [56] per Pepall JA, Re Roslea Path Ltd (in liquidation) [2013] 1 NZLR 207 at [108], [115] and [121] per Heath and Venning JJ, Brook v Reed [2012] 1 WLR 419 at [51], [86] and [87] per Richards J, referring to the relevant 2004 UK Practice Statement [2004] BCC 912, Re Korda; in the matter of Stockford Ltd (2004) 140 FCR 424 at [47] per Finkelstein J, although we do not endorse his Honour's obiter observations on the "lodestar" methodology as being the required approach as distinct from merely one practical way to proceed in a particular case.
Generally, in looking at proportionality, the value of the services rendered must be considered. We would endorse the observations of McLure JA in Conlan as liquidator of Rowena Nominees Pty Ltd (in liquidation) v Adams (2008) 65 ACSR 521 at [47] where her Honour observed:
As to the performance of a task reasonably embarked upon, the work done must be proportionate to the difficulty or importance of the task in the context in which it needs to be performed. This is what is encompassed in assessing the value of the services rendered. Using an example from the law, the time spent by an appropriately qualified and experienced practitioner in drafting a statement of claim should be proportionate to the amount in issue.
Finally, even if one was not to address proportionality as an express factor, nevertheless its absence may have forensic significance in determining reasonableness. Another way to look at proportionality can be to conclude from a lack of proportionality between the cost of the work done relative to the value of the services provided that there has been overcharging or excessive remuneration claimed (see Thackray v Gunns Plantations Ltd (2011) 85 ACSR 144 at [64] per Davies J).
At [50]-[53], the Full Court emphasised, however, that the proportionality analysis requires a comparison of "like with like".
17 The Full Court considered that the primary judge had not made a like with like comparison. At [48]-[49], the Full Court stated:
First, her Honour considered the value of the "Investors / Distribution" work in relation to the amount distributed of $6.1m and the amount to be distributed of $4.8m, totalling $10.9m. There is no difficulty with this. But in doing so, the comparator ought to have been the remuneration for work done in that category. Her Honour compared the amounts distributed or to be distributed with the "present claim, for over $4 million". But the true comparator was the amount claimed for this category of work, being $2,369,274.50, alternatively that amount together with the previous remuneration claimed and allowed for that category of work.
Second, her Honour referred to the Receivers also having received about $14.2m. But that amount was in large part for remuneration done in relation to the secured creditors. It was not comparing like with like in looking at the proportionality for the remuneration claim in respect of the "Investors / Distribution" category. Now one could have looked at the total remuneration claim for work done in all categories as compared with the value of the work in all categories, but then the true comparator to the $14.2m would not just have been the $10.9m amount concerning distributions to investors, but would also need to have taken into account the value achieved or ascribed to the work undertaken concerning the secured creditors, which realised $92m.
18 At [50] the Full Court set out what it considered to be an appropriate proportionality analysis as follows:
For completeness, we should say that there is one submission of the appellants that we reject. It was said that in looking at the proportionality of the claim concerning the "Investors / Distribution" category, that the benefit of $10.9m should be assessed only against the $2.369m then claimed, without looking at the previous remuneration claimed for work in that category (this appears to have been $3.6m (T 24.45)). We would reject that contention. In our view, an appropriate proportionality analysis with respect to that category of work could properly consider either:
(a) the total value of that work with the total remuneration claimed for that work over the entire period; or
(b) the value of work performed of that type over the Relevant Period with the remuneration claimed for that work over the Relevant Period.
19 The Full Court cautioned that it should nonetheless be borne in mind that in performing some work, it may not be entirely clear ahead of time what the precise benefit of the work might be so that it might be inappropriate to use a hindsight analysis of known returns after the event to assess whether the work was proportional to the task and in such a situation one would look at the expected realistic return at the time the work was performed rather than actual outcomes. The Full Court also stated that some work may be sufficiently complex and labour intensive such as to justify a high cost to benefit ratio.
20 The Full Court also held that the primary judge's reduction was not justified by delay. The Full Court noted the unchallenged evidence of Mr Templeton which explained the delay but also stated that no link was shown between the delay and any inflated remuneration claim or any inefficiency in the work performed.
21 The Full Court also held that the primary judge's reduction was not justified for inefficiency. The Full Court considered that it was not open on the evidence to say that the time spent was "too high" and there was no evidence of any other more efficient process that would have reduced the time taken.
22 The Full Court held that the primary judge, however, had not failed properly to consider and give sufficient weight to the fact that the Receivers had voluntarily reduced their claim for remuneration by 10%. The Full Court considered that the primary judge: (1) was entitled not to be satisfied that the 10% discount had proceeded from the real or actual claim as distinct from a notional arithmetical ambit claim based on time costing; (2) gave the 10% discount the weighting that was appropriate in light of the absence of detailed evidence about the review process; and (3) was entitled to commence her assessment of reasonableness using the starting point of the claim which had incorporated within it the 10% discount.