REBECCA AS A PARENTING COORDINATOR
Please Note Completing This Intake Does Not Create an Attorney-Client Relationship
Parenting Coordinators in Family Law Cases
Helping Parents Navigate High-Conflict Co-Parenting Disputes
Even after a parenting plan or Allocation Judgment is entered, disagreements between parents do not always end. Questions about schedules, exchanges, extracurricular activities, communication, school events, vacations, and other day-to-day parenting issues can create continuing conflict.
For families experiencing repeated co-parenting disputes, an Illinois court may appoint a Parenting Coordinator to help parents implement their existing parenting plan, resolve certain disputes, and reduce the need to return to court over every disagreement.
Rebecca has been selected by the Circuit Court of Cook County to represent parents in complex and high-conflict parenting matters, including cases involving Parenting Coordinators. She is also a volunteer Guardians ad Litem and Child Representatives.
What Is a Parenting Coordinator?
A Parenting Coordinator is a neutral professional appointed by the court to assist parents who have difficulty communicating, cooperating, or implementing their parenting agreements and court orders.
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 909 provides a statewide framework for Parenting Coordination. The process is intended to help parents address recurring parenting disputes efficiently while reducing conflict and unnecessary litigation.
Unlike a judge, a Parenting Coordinator does not decide the fundamental allocation of parental responsibilities or rewrite a parenting plan. Instead, the Parenting Coordinator works within the authority granted by the court's appointment order and applicable Illinois and local court rules.
What Can a Parenting Coordinator Do?
Depending upon the court's appointment order, Rebecca, as your Parenting Coordinator, may assist parents with issues such as:
Implementing and complying with an existing parenting plan or Allocation Judgment;
Resolving disagreements regarding the time, place, and manner of parenting-time exchanges;
Addressing children's extracurricular activities and certain related expenses;
Improving communication between parents;
Establishing guidelines for parent-to-parent communication;
Helping parents identify areas of compromise;
Monitoring compliance with existing parenting orders;
Mediating certain disputes between parents;
Documenting allegations of noncompliance when authorized; and
Making recommendations concerning appropriate issues within the Parenting Coordinator's authority.
The precise authority of a Parenting Coordinator matters. The court's appointment order should clearly identify the Parenting Coordinator's duties and the issues the Parenting Coordinator is permitted to address.
What Can't a Parenting Coordinator Decide?
A Parenting Coordinator is not a substitute for the judge and cannot decide every issue in a family law case.
Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 909, a Parenting Coordinator may not make recommendations concerning certain fundamental matters, including:
Allocation of parental decision-making responsibilities. A Parenting Coordinator cannot determine which parent should have significant decision-making authority for a child.
Allocation of parenting time. Major decisions regarding how parenting time itself is allocated remain within the authority of the court.
Relocation. A Parenting Coordinator cannot decide whether a parent may relocate with a child.
Non-parent visitation. Issues involving the establishment of visitation by a non-parent are outside the Parenting Coordinator's authority.
Child support or maintenance. Financial support determinations remain matters for the court.
Division of marital property or debt. A Parenting Coordinator's role concerns parenting issues—not the financial division of a divorce.
Understanding these limitations can become particularly important when a Parenting Coordinator's recommendation arguably exceeds the authority granted by the appointment order or Illinois law.
When Is a Parenting Coordinator Helpful?
Parenting Coordination may be appropriate when parents have an existing parenting plan but repeatedly disagree about how that plan should operate in everyday life.
For example, parents may agree that their child participates in extracurricular activities but disagree about which activities, transportation, scheduling, or expenses. They may disagree about exchange logistics, communication protocols, vacation details, or other recurring issues.
Without an alternative process, relatively narrow disagreements can result in repeated motions, attorneys' fees, court appearances, and continued conflict.
A Parenting Coordinator can provide a structured process for addressing those disputes without requiring parents to immediately return to court every time a problem arises.
Parenting Coordinators in High-Conflict Parenting Cases
Parenting Coordination can be particularly important in high-conflict cases.
Some families experience ongoing disputes even after extensive litigation and the entry of detailed parenting orders. Communication may have deteriorated to the point that seemingly minor issues routinely escalate.
In these cases, our attorneys carefully evaluate not only whether a Parenting Coordinator may be appropriate, but also:
Who should serve as the Parenting Coordinator;
The scope of the appointment;
What issues should be included or excluded;
How communications with the Parenting Coordinator should occur;
How fees should be allocated;
How recommendations will be documented;
Whether a recommendation exceeds the Parenting Coordinator's authority; and
Whether court intervention or review is necessary.
The language of the appointment order can have significant consequences. We work to ensure that our clients understand exactly what authority is—and is not—being given to the Parenting Coordinator.
Challenging a Parenting Coordinator's Recommendation
A Parenting Coordinator's recommendation is not necessarily the final word.
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 909 provides a procedure through which a parent may seek court review of a Parenting Coordinator's recommendation under specified circumstances.
This can become particularly important when a parent believes a recommendation is contrary to the child's best interests or goes beyond the authority granted to the Parenting Coordinator.
When a dispute involving a Parenting Coordinator returns to court, the distinction between a minor implementation issue and an impermissible modification of substantive parenting rights may become critical.
Berlin Melzer Law represents parents both in working effectively with Parenting Coordinators and in litigating disputes when court intervention becomes necessary.
Parenting Coordinator vs. Guardian ad Litem
A Parenting Coordinator and Guardian ad Litem serve different roles in an Illinois family law case.
A Parenting Coordinator generally helps parents implement an existing parenting arrangement and resolve recurring parenting disputes.
A Guardian ad Litem is appointed by the court to investigate issues involving the child and make recommendations to the court concerning the child's best interests.
Depending on the circumstances, a complex parenting case may involve a Parenting Coordinator, Guardian ad Litem, Child Representative, Section 604.10(b) evaluator, therapist, or other professional. Understanding the different responsibilities and limitations of each professional is an important part of developing a litigation strategy.
Experienced Representation in Complex Illinois Parenting Cases
At Berlin Melzer Law, we understand that parenting disputes rarely exist in isolation. High-conflict cases may involve allegations concerning parental decision-making, parenting time, mental health, substance use, domestic violence, abuse, school concerns, medical decisions, relocation, or interference with the other parent's relationship with the children.
Our attorneys handle sophisticated parenting litigation and work with court-appointed professionals and experts when appropriate.
We represent clients in Chicago and throughout Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, Will County, and surrounding Illinois communities.
Talk With an Illinois Family Law Attorney About Parenting Coordination
If a Parenting Coordinator has been proposed or appointed in your case—or if continuing disputes are making it difficult to implement your existing parenting plan—the attorneys at Berlin Melzer Law can help you understand your options.
We can assist with Parenting Coordinator appointments, negotiating the scope of an appointment order, disputes regarding recommendations, high-conflict parenting litigation, modifications of parenting arrangements, and related allocation-of-parental-responsibilities matters.
Schedule a consultation with Berlin Melzer Law to discuss your Illinois parenting matter.