Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our daily lives in spring 2020. Many of the effects of the closures and home-working practices that accompanied the epidemic are still being felt in civil procedure today, whether positive or negative. On the positive side, the courts and authorities have recognised the potential of online communication, so that some of the proceedings can be moved online even in periods when there is no epidemic, saving time and energy. There are mixed views on the benefits of the fact that courts are ordering more only written preparation for the commencement of civil litigation proceedings than in the past. Lastly, it is negative that, to date, no satisfactory solution has been found for dealing with cases of absence due to sudden illness. This study examines the practice in the field of sickness absence: on the basis of an order of the Hungarian High Court (Curia) of February 2021, issued under the specific circumstances of a case of emergency, it seeks to shed light on the real content and role of the right to representation (and the substitution of the attorney) in civil proceedings.