Harbour View Quarter 2 2016
Featuring topical articles by guest authors and the Harbour Team.
harbourlitigationfunding.com
Contents Page 3 – 6
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A new asset class? Shareholder class actions in the UK Richard Leedham, a partner in Mishcon de Reya’s Dispute Resolution department, addresses the growth of shareholder class actions in the UK.
Page 7 – 9
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Shareholder class actions – the causation debate S tephen O’Dowd, Harbour’s Senior Director of Litigation Funding, considers the ongoing causation debate in this rapidly evolving area.
Page 11 – 14 —
Predictive coding’s iPhone moment?
Oliver Glynn-Jones, head of Berwin Leighton Paisner’s Commercial Dispute Resolution group, senior associate Robin Ganguly and knowledge development lawyer Nick Pryor, consider the implications for the use of predictive coding technology of two recent English High Court decisions.
Page 15 – 16 —
Harbour news
ARTICLE ONE – A NEW ASSET CLASS? SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTIONS IN THE UK
A new asset class? Shareholder class actions in the UK Richard Leedham, a partner in Mishcon de Reya’s Dispute Resolution department, addresses the growth of shareholder class actions in the UK.
“F
Drivers
or the loser now will be later to win, for the times they are a changin”
1. Class actions work where multiple parties
(Bob Dylan 1964).
have the same cause of action and their
There is no doubt that interest in class actions in
claims give rise to common or related issues
the UK is at an all-time high. In this article, we look
of fact or law. They are therefore particularly
at the drivers and trends behind this, and look
well-suited to causes of action that naturally
ahead to how things might develop. Are the times
group a large number of potential claimants
really changing?
together, such as personal injury, product liability and financial misselling claims. All of
3
ARTICLE ONE – A NEW ASSET CLASS? SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTIONS IN THE UK
those types of claims have been on the rise in the UK, the last group undoubtedly being driven by the post-2008 revelations
“Interest in class actions in the UK is at an all-time high.”
of some of the practices of sectors of the financial industry. 2. Shareholder class action cases are on the rise. The class action regime has been in place in the UK since 2000 and like all new things, has taken some time to bed in. There have in fact been 94 Global Litigation Orders (the English Court’s process of certifying a
high, i.e. the misrepresentation threshold
class action) since 2000, with more in the
or above, and issues arise as to reliance
pipeline. There has also been increased
and the measure of loss, provided misleading
interest in the UK since the US Supreme
statements/omissions can be made out, the
Court decision in Morrison in 2010 severely
claims are relatively straightforward to launch.
limited the extraterritorial application of US securities laws. There are records of only
3. One then turns to how such claims can be
2 reported GLOs making it to Court in the
funded, and another trend is the rise in the
first 10 years of their existence, but now in
UK of the litigation or third party funder.
2016, two of the biggest cases before the
Harbour are one of the more established
English courts are the claims (both class
players, but there have also been new
actions) brought by thousands of retail and
entrants over the last few years, perhaps
institutional shareholders against RBS for
as private and institutional wealth seeks a
its 2008 rights issue and Lloyds for its 2008
better return than the derisory rates available
acquisition of HBOS. Tesco faces a well-pub-
post-crash in most money markets. As
licised claim from its shareholders in respect
the funders develop more expertise, and
of losses suffered following disclosure of how
greater flexibility on their returns, so
it accounted with its suppliers. A recent case
clients have more options. And funders
against directors of Cattles plc over its 2008
have undoubtedly embraced the current
rights issue settled just before trial. All of these
class action claims – of the 4 cited above,
cases turn on the interpretation of Section
all are/were funded in whole or in part.
90 (for rights issue claims) and section 90A (for statements to the market) of FSMA 2000,
4. This leads to another key development and
a relatively recent statute on which there
change – the stealthy growing involvement
is as yet no case law. However the remedy
of the institutional claimant. It was certainly
is startlingly simply put: on the basis a
the case a few years ago that on the face
misleading statement or omission can be
of it wealthy corporates would not consider
made out, investors can recover their losses
working with a litigation funder – why would
suffered as a result. Whilst the bar is relatively
they pay away a share of their damages to
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ARTICLE ONE – A NEW ASSET CLASS? SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTIONS IN THE UK
a third party? Well just as the core group of
entities
UK funders are now well (if self) regulated
economies of scale and maximum power
and litigation funding is seen as perfectly
over the defendant that the class action
respectable and mainstream, so too it
can bring.
recognise
the
value
of
the
is entirely valid for a GC to advise the Board that litigation funding can not only
5. And increasingly do corporates of all sizes,
de-risk a piece of litigation, but that legal
who answer to their shareholders, have any
departments can become profit centres
choice about at least considering bringing
rather than just a cost to the business.
such claims? Remember the high bar,
Funding often comes hand in hand with
certainly for Section 90/90A claims, and
After
cover
the need even in “standard” misselling
the downside risk of losing and paying
claims to demonstrate reliance and loss.
the defendant’s costs, and corporates
It is nowhere near good enough to simply
now
their
argue the investment went wrong. But if
returns on claims that otherwise they
the criteria are there, corporate investors
might not bring at all. Funding works
face a difficult decision, particularly in
particularly well with failed invest m ent
these days of shareholder activism, in not
claims where the corporate who invested
participating in
may have significant assets on its balance
where they were misled, or purchases
sheet but its investment vehicle – be it a
of products that were miss-sold to them.
The
see
Event
a
way
insurance
of
to
maximising
actions over investments
fund or nominee shareholder – may not. It might be thought that corporates would
6. Part of that analysis, i.e. should a claim be
be adverse still to participating in class
brought, is a consideration of the regulators’
actions, but we see increasingly that such
change of approach. Again looking at financial claims, and undoubtedly driven by post-2008 events, there are now far greater levels of enforcement action and
“It is entirely valid for a GC to advise its Board that litigation funding can not only de-risk a piece of litigation, but that legal departments can become profit centres rather than just a cost to the business.”
invest i gatory activity by the FCA, all of whose findings are public and often lay the ground work for later civil claims. To put the increase in context, the FCA reports on its website total fines increasing from £474m in 2013, to £905m in 2014, to (for the UK) a staggering £1.4 billion in 2015. The regulator’s interest in wrong doing underpins an increasingly strong voice, not just from activist shareholders, but from institutional investors who are prepared to take an active
stance
if
they
been misled by a company.
5
feel
they
have
ARTICLE ONE – A NEW ASSET CLASS? SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTIONS IN THE UK
7. Finally, the lawyers. Perhaps driven by the changes to the litigation landscape after the 2013 Jackson reforms (conditional fee agreement success fees and ATE premium are no longer recoverable from losing party), there has been a discernible shift to Claimant firms actively targeting potential clients for class actions and “book building”. Current examples are the potential claims against VW, which although they may well in fact progress in Germany, have seen various UK firms showing
interest and marketing
their services to potential clients. Information about claims are made available on their web sites, help lines set up. All of this would have been anathema to the profession only a few years ago.
In addition, some institutions are put off funding claims with external funders due to the perceived high returns some funders want; do not want to join in a large group of smaller retail investors and individuals
The future
I
who may have personal motives for bringing claims; are concerned over the drain such cases inevitably
t is premature to talk of an explosion of
make on management time and the possibility their
shareholder class actions fuelled by the factors
asset managers may have to give evidence in Court;
highlighted above and the ability English firms
and generally may be unconvinced that their in
now have to offer contingency fees – here known
house litigation teams can ever be profit centres.
as Damages Based Agreements. The relatively high bar under FSMA, and the fact that if a Claimant
All valid concerns, some of which will be worked
loses it must pay the Defendant’s costs, are both
through by the market as cases progress, some
significant limiting factors. It is also fair to say that
determined by the facts of individual cases. But
whilst smaller shareholders may see class actions as
investors of all shapes and sizes need to give serious
a cost effective way of bringing claims, particularly if
thought to the options that are out there where
they are funded, often a claim needs the involvement
they have been misled over their investments or
of large institutional investors to gain serious
other obvious claims present themselves, and think
traction. Whilst some are perhaps ahead of the
about the consequences of not actively considering
curve in seeing action on the right claims as laying
such claims. Shareholder class action litigation is
down a marker for an often ill-disciplined stock
one cost-effective way of asserting those rights
market, others understandably are concerned
and is certainly here to stay in the UK.
as being perceived to be encouraging “US style”
Dylan, as usual, may be right.
securities litigation.
67
“At the heart of the causation challenge is the issue of reliance.�
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ARTICLE TWO – SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTIONS – THE CAUSATION DEBATE
Shareholder class actions – the causation debate Stephen O’Dowd, Harbour’s Senior Director of Litigation Funding, considers the ongoing causation debate in this rapidly evolving area.
I
t is difficult to establish a shareholder claim in any jurisdiction. Outside of the US, there are additional challenges, owing to a paucity of
judicial guidance. Of these additional challenges, causation is arguably the most significant. At the heart of the causation challenge is the issue of reliance. A public company may be liable for breach of its continuous disclosure obligations because it made misleading statements to its market. However, an investor who acquired shares that were overvalued due to the company’s misconduct might have no remedy, because he cannot show that he relied on the company’s misconduct when making his investment decision. Establishing individual reliance in this way can be problematic, especially in a class action where the class comprises hundreds or thousands of investor members. One answer to the problem is to adopt the theory of an efficient market when determining causation. Such a theory is based on the premise that the share price of a public company reflects all known, relevant information about that company. In the context of a shareholder action, efficient market theory renders the question of reliance by individual investors moot, save where it can be shown that an investor was indifferent to actual knowledge he had about the misconduct of the company he invested in.
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ARTICLE TWO – SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTIONS – THE CAUSATION DEBATE
The US courts have firmly adopted efficient market theory in relation to questions of causation in shareholder actions. That position was recently reaffirmed by the US Supreme Court in Halliburton Co. v Erica P. John Fund, Inc. However, the position is less certain in other jurisdictions. In Australia, which enjoys a similarly welldeveloped class-action regime to the US, there is an ongoing debate about causation and reliance in relation to shareholder class actions. Class members will typically argue for efficient market theory, and defendants will argue for individual reliance. These arguments are left unresolved because the vast majority of such claims settle. As a result, new claims lead with an applicant who can establish individual reliance just in case the courts refuse to adopt efficient market theory. Recent Australian decisions suggest that the causation debate is likely to be settled in favour of claimants. In Caason Investments, the Full Federal Court granted leave to the claimants to plead efficient market theory, and in HIH Insurance Limited (in liquidation), the Supreme Court of New South Wales actually adopted the theory. Pro-defence commentators in Australia have been
“Investors… must continue to navigate uncertainty over the correct approach to causation.”
quick to point out that Caason is not determinative and that HIH is merely the first instance decision of a single judge. In short, the debate will continue until such time as Australia’s High Court delivers its verdict. Until then, aggrieved investors in Australia, and in other jurisdictions, must continue to navigate uncertainty over the correct approach to causation. But with claims in this area rapidly evolving, we should expect more certainty in short order.
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“In time…it is likely that predictive coding will become more than just a legitimate alternative – it will increasingly become the only viable option.”
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ARTICLE THREE – PREDICTIVE CODING’S IPHONE MOMENT?
Predictive coding’s iPhone moment? Oliver Glynn-Jones, head of Berwin Leighton Paisner’s Commercial Dispute Resolution group, senior associate Robin Ganguly and knowledge development lawyer Nick Pryor, consider the implications for the use of predictive coding technology of two recent English High Court decisions.
A
pple did not invent the smartphone; nor
the UK market has been slower to arrive, but all
did Google. The concept of a networked
this is changing. Predictive coding is suddenly
portable device had been around for at
attracting significant press attention, finding
least a decade before Android and the iPhone were
traction in a number of larger law firms, and
announced in 2007. So why did they catalyse an
securing judicial support through two significant
entire industry at that particular moment in time?
High Court decisions in quick succession (in
A big part of the answer is down to smart design
Pyrrho Investments Ltd v MWB Property Ltd
choices. But the most critical factors were all external:
& Ors [2016] EWHC 256 (Ch) and the BCA
a growing demand for persistent connectivity in
Trading case). Is predictive coding experiencing
our work and personal lives, the advancement
its “iPhone moment”, when market forces
of key technologies such as low power mobile
accelerate it towards mainstream adoption?
chipsets and touchscreens, and the fact that high speed 3G networks had just reached critical mass.
The market forces are undoubtedly there. The
The technology matured just as the demand and
judicial support in Pyrrho and BCA Trading has not
potential opportunity arose, and the success is such
come out of nowhere; the changes to CPR Part
that mobile platforms have now wholly supplanted
31 brought about through the Jackson Reforms,
traditional computing in many aspects of our lives.
and in particular the disclosure menu in CPR 31.5(7), emphasised the need to find alternative
Arguably a similar story is true for predictive
ways to resource disclosure in a proportionate
coding as the inevitable successor to manual
manner. This was supported by the introduction
document
of cost budgeting, and the redoubled emphasis
learning
reviews. principles
The
essential
underpinning
machine predictive
on proportionality in CPR 1.1(2).
coding have matured, and predictive coding as a commercialised product has been available in
For a brief time, many practitioners continued to
US litigation for a number of years. Demand in
favour familiar approaches to standard disclosure
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ARTICLE THREE – PREDICTIVE CODING’S IPHONE MOMENT?
– perhaps attempting to drive down costs by
objectively superior results at markedly lower
near-shoring, off-shoring, or outsourcing their
cost (in the BCA case using predictive coding
review teams. However, those approaches create
was estimated to be two and a half times
their own challenges in sustaining quality and
cheaper than a traditional manual review). It
accountability for the review (see West African
empowers the legal team to identify quickly
Gas Pipeline Company Ltd v Willbros Global
the most likely significant documents, and to
Holdings Inc [2012] EWHC 396 (TCC)), and in any
make much more informed decisions about the
event only go part of the way towards meeting
review. For example, predictive coding does not
the challenge of maintaining proportionality in
simply produce a binary categorisation of each
the face of accelerating data growth.
document as relevant or not; it grades according to confidence. This enables the solicitor to
An EDC study from 2012 estimated that there
determine what would be a proportionate
would be a 50-fold growth in enterprise data
percentage of the full dataset to subject to
between 2010 and 2020. Of course, this growth
human review (to verify and correct the results,
is exponential not linear, meaning that the vast
sweep for privilege, and so on) prior to disclosure.
majority is still ahead of us. It won’t be long before
This cost/benefit analysis, and assessment of
the volume of potentially relevant documents in
proportionality by reference to the overriding
an average mid-size commercial dispute will be
objective, can be precisely calibrated using the
greater than the most exceptional outliers of a
system’s “recall” and “precision” figures.
few years ago. And of course all of these factors are compounded by the fact that clients are
The mechanics of how this assessment should
under increasing financial pressure following
be conducted are currently left to the judgement
the economic downturn, and quite rightly expect
of the parties and/or direction of the court on
litigation to be resourced ever more efficiently.
a case-by-case basis. In time, some standard
All of this necessitates a fundamental rethink about how document review is conducted. Predictive coding is the obvious answer. It is a proven technology; Master Matthews’ judgment
“An EDC study from 2012 estimated that there would be a 50-fold growth in enterprise data between 2010 and 2020.”
in Pyrrho listed ten factors in favour of its adoption, and could find no argument against. Nor should a party feel compelled to secure buy-in from their reluctant opponent, as the order in the BCA Trading case demonstrates. The arguments in its favour in suitable cases are so manifest and compelling that there really is no credible basis for challenge. However, the true power of predictive coding is that it does much more than simply delivering
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ARTICLE THREE – PREDICTIVE CODING’S IPHONE MOMENT?
practices are likely to evolve. For example, it may
predictive coding in UK litigation. However, it will
be that the number of documents for manual
almost certainly encourage much more dialogue
review can be agreed in advance (for example,
and agreement between parties, with more
10,000 documents in an original population of one
explicit choices made regarding what is and is not
million), as a reflection of what would be deemed
accepted as proportionate. This has to be a good
proportionate in the case; the court could then
thing. In time, as the courts and practitioners
set aspirational percentages for the level of recall
become more comfortable with the technology,
and precision to be achieved before that review
and as data volumes trend towards unmanageable
takes place. Or, conversely, the recall figure could
volumes at all scales of litigation, it is likely that
become the primary focus for discussions – since
predictive coding will become more than just a
this is the most explicit recognition that document
legitimate alternative – it will increasingly become
review is not (and never has been) about “leaving
the only viable option for many cases. Standard
no stone unturned”.
disclosure may remain standard practice for a little while longer – but just as with smartphones
It is hard to say at this stage what norms and
in 2007, widespread adoption of predictive coding
practices will develop around the application of
suddenly feels inevitable and imminent.
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“Document review is not (and never has been) about leaving no stone unturned.�
14 15
HARBOUR NEWS - NEWS FROM INSIDE HARBOUR LITIGATION FUNDING
Harbour news
T
his quarter has seen a slew of activity to
the annual Inter Pacific Bar Association Conference
continue to cement Harbour’s presence
in Kuala Lumpur, where Susan spoke to an
in the Asia Pacific region. Susan Dunn
engaged audience on the positive impact third
travelled to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur in
party funding can have on managing costs. A
April, spending a successful week with Ruth
jurisdiction not well known to Harbour previously,
Stackpool-Moore, Head of the Hong Kong office,
Malaysian practitioners proved to be dynamic and
reinforcing existing relationships as well as
enthusiastic in their welcome, adopting a positive
building exciting new ones with firms, experts
attitude to the facilitation of funding there.
and liquidators in particular. A highlight of her time in Hong Kong was Susan’s presence as the
Ruth has also been active elsewhere in the
guest of honour at HK45’s Supper Club, designed
region, travelling several times to Australia and
to foster informal and informative discussion
Singapore respectively. Closer to home, Ruth
with young and up and coming members of the
spoke to members of the American Chamber
Hong Kong arbitration community.
of Commerce in Hong Kong in June about third party funding and why it is a genuinely useful
The week also included Susan and Ruth attending
commercial tool.
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HARBOUR NEWS - NEWS FROM INSIDE HARBOUR LITIGATION FUNDING
Funding remains prohibited in Ireland…for now
H
arbour has agreed to fund Persona Digital Telephony Limited (“Persona”) and Sigma Wireless Networks Limited
(“Sigma”) in relation to their Irish High Court proceedings against the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ireland, the Attorney General and Denis O’Brien. On 20 April 2016, the Irish High Court dismissed Persona’s and Sigma’s motion for approval of Harbour’s funding. Persona and Sigma are preparing their appeal. Numerous jurisdictions around the world have now approved the use of litigation funding, recognising both its value in enabling parties to have access to the courts by covering the expenses of litigation as well as maintaining their growth as global centres for dispute resolution. It is disappointing that access to justice is being denied in Ireland for the plaintiffs in this important case, as well as for other plaintiffs in need of litigation funding, simply because a third party is paying the legal bills. It is difficult to understand why this should be so controversial.
The Harbour Team expands
W
e shall be announcing four new
Harbour View will provide profiles and details
appointments to the Harbour Team
of how the range of our capabilities continues
in London and Hong Kong over
to expand.
the next few weeks and our Quarter Three
Watch this space!
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The information, materials and opinions contained in this publication are for general information purposes only; are not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice; and should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances. Neither Harbour Litigation Funding Limited nor any other of its related entities accepts any responsibility for any loss which may arise from reliance on information or materials contained in this publication. If you wish to find out more about the information in the materials published, please contact Billie Peel on +44 (0)20 3 829 9320.
Featuring topical articles by guest authors and the Harbour Team.
harbourlitigationfunding.com