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→The parenting coordination agreement
After the parenting coordinator is appointed, you will be asked to sign a participation agreement, usually called a ''parenting coordination agreement.'' Your parenting coordinator will likely want you to get legal advice about the meaning and effect of the agreement. Your lawyer will usually be happy to give you this advice; if you don't have a lawyer, you can hire one just to give you this advice.
Parenting coordination agreements do four things. First, they serve as the parenting coordinator's retainer agreement and describe how the parenting coordinator will charge for their services and when they will expect to be paid. (You can read more about retainer agreements in the [[Introduction to Understanding the Legal System for Family Law Matters|Understanding the Legal System]] chapter, in the [[You & Your Lawyer|You and Your Lawyer]] section.) Second, they describe the parties' rights and responsibilities in the process, as well as the responsibilities of the parenting coordinator and the scope of their authority. Third, they summarize any specific issues the parenting coordinator will focus on. Finally, they specify the term for which the parenting coordinator is being hired, usually somewhere between six and 24 months.
Section 15(4) of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' says that the maximum term parenting coordinators can be hired for is for 24 months. This is usually the best length of time to work with a parenting coordinator. 12-month appointments are fairly common, however. Parenting coordinators have been hired for shorter appointments, but the benefits of parenting coordination generally require a longer engagement. Parenting coordination agreements that have come to an end may be renewed, if the parenting coordinator and the parents agree.