Welcome to CLICK

A warm welcome, from Coren Law, to CLICK ON: Coren on Isle of Man Civil Procedure. 

CLICK is a new online Manx civil procedure portal. It is produced by Coren Law, a firm specialising in civil and commercial litigation. Arranged alphabetically, CLICK cross-references key Manx statutory provisions, Isle of Man Rules of Court, case-law guidance and judicial, extra-judicial and practitioner commentary. CLICK draws on Advocate Steven Coren’s 20 or so years of acting in, advising on, and teaching, various civil procedure cases. 

CLICK aims to be a practical, user-friendly, online Manx civil procedure resource and hub for practitioners and students. It aims to reflect current practice.

How CLICK works

CLICK is found on the Coren Law website (www.corenlaw.im). It comprises over 100 pages of text, arranged A-Z. Use the search bar to search for a specific civil procedure term – or follow the text alphabetically. Take, for example, the search term “List of issues”. This is what comes up on CLICK:

List of issues

• active case management includes: Rule 7.1(2)(b)-(d): “identifying the issues at an early stage; deciding promptly which issues need full investigation and trial and accordingly disposing summarily of the others; deciding the order in which issues are to be resolved”
  • case summary
• helpful (especially if agreed): see examples in Bibby & another v Thompson (CHP 12/0082) (16.11.12) (§ 17); Clarke & another v RL360 Insurance Co. Ltd (ORD 2018/18) (29.10.19) (Annex)
• Seaside Shipping v DoI (CHP 2010/17) (13.07.12) (§§ 112-116) (direction of trial of preliminary issues of law)
  • preliminary issue

So there are several bullet-points of key information, arranged alphabetically. These generally refer to a Rule of the High Court, or to a statutory provision, or to a key case or cases. Each Rule, case or statutory provision hyperlinks to the original source document. Key paragraphs within a case are highlighted. Appellate case-law is generally cited, where possible.

Entries include text which cross-refers to other relevant entries in CLICK. “List of issues” links to separate entries on “case summary” and “preliminary issue”, each with its own text and cross-references. This is how CLICK works: it inter-links – much as civil procedure itself does. 

Other features

CLICK has several other features. First, it includes 9 tables, including data on:

• Number of reported civil applications for permission to appeal (PTA’s) since 01.12.24
• Extending time to appeal, comparison of case-law examples
• Sentencing for civil contempt – examples
• Conduct resulting in indemnity costs orders – examples
• Outcomes on application of “promptly” test to set aside a default judgment, comparison of
• Extensions of time in doleance claims, comparison of
• Number of reported civil applications for permission to appeal to the JCPC since 01.05.15 
• Some key limitation periods 
• Overriding objective – examples where the court has considered

So if, for example, the user’s query relates to what approach Manx courts take as to indemnity costs, then, grouped together (in Table 4 of CLICK), are various practical recent examples. The purpose of these tables is to assist in explaining recent caselaw trends and to locate key points easily.

CLICK also identifies practice areas where Manx civil procedure diverges materially from England and Wales (marked with a 3 Legs of Mann symbol). So whilst there is generally substantial alignment with the CPR, those well-known, and sometimes less well-known, “uniquely Manx” elements of the civil procedure landscape, where local law or practice diverges from England and Wales, are flagged.

Another feature is the inclusion of various links to practitioner, judicial and extra-judicial commentary. Several local law firms have produced helpful practice notes, usually on specific cases. Various of these are included, as also are links to lectures, such as those given by distinguished Caroline Weatherill Memorial speakers, Deemster Doyle’s notes to Manx Bar trainees, and some of the work of Professor Peter Edge.

CLICK is neither exhaustive, nor infallible. It is not a substitute for reference to the original sources of Manx civil procedure law and practice. However, it is hoped that CLICK will facilitate accessing them. It is also important to highlight the vital Manx Law Reports (MLR), brainchild of the late Deemster William Cain. Since their launch, in the pre-digital era, the MLR have done much to collate, and to clarify, Manx law. They still require to be cited before our courts (see PD 01/2025).

CLICK is free to access and use and may be quoted from, if attributed (CLICK on Coren, or CLICK). Users of CLICK should find a host of useful materials. Very polite comments, corrections or suggestions may be e-mailed to: click@corenlaw.im

New updates will be added on an ongoing basis.