In a marriage, parents are bound to butt heads over issues with their children. After your divorce, you could find yourself arguing over every little thing. The potential for conflict increases exponentially when you are trying to parent from two homes. You might find yourself arguing over things like haircuts, homework and how to implement acceptable punishment. If you are in a situation where co-parenting is not going well, you might benefit from a Parent Coordinator.
A Parent Coordinator is a professional appointed in your case that helps resolve ongoing custody conflicts. A Parent Coordinator is usually another lawyer or therapist that does not represent either party and instead represents the best interest of the children. They are someone you can call that helps mediate disputes involving the children after a Custody Order is entered. Parent Coordinators help prevent the constant litigation of issues that arise during a custody action. Although Parent Coordinators usually charge an hourly fee, like your attorney, in the end they can be a much cheaper and sensible option than filing Motions for the Court to address conflict.
A Parent Coordinator not only reduces conflict between parties, they teach the parents skills on how to communicate and co-parent more effectively so they can eventually resolve conflict on their own. In a high conflict case, they also can provide the Court will valuable information if custody and visitation needs to be modified.
There are several ways a Parent Coordinator can be appointed in your case. If you and the other party enter into a Separation Agreement, you can consent to the appointment of a Parent Coordinator and the details regarding such will be outlined in your Agreement. After a Custody Order has been entered, either party may make a Motion to the Court to appoint a Parent Coordinator. The Judge may appoint one at the custody trial if they can see there is potential for ongoing conflict. The Judge may also appoint one if continuous Motions are filed regarding custody conflicts after an Order has been entered.
A list of Parent Coordinators available in Mecklenburg County can be found here. Call Rech Law, P.C. today so we can help you decide if a Parent Coordinator is right for your case.