Can a parenting coordinator be brought in mid-litigation, or only after a final order?

A parenting coordinator can generally be brought in at either point, since the arrangement is created by the parents' own agreement rather than being tied to a specific stage of a court case. Some families bring in a parenting coordinator while a broader court proceeding is still ongoing, often to manage day-to-day friction over an existing temporary parenting arrangement while the larger issues are worked out, so the parents aren't stuck escalating every small dispute to the court in the meantime.

Just as commonly, parenting coordination is set up after a final order or separation agreement is in place, specifically to help implement that arrangement smoothly going forward and handle the practical disagreements that inevitably come up once the ink is dry. Which timing makes sense depends on the family's specific situation, including how much ongoing conflict exists and whether a temporary arrangement is stable enough to benefit from this kind of support. A family lawyer can help assess whether bringing in a parenting coordinator now, rather than waiting for a final order, would actually reduce conflict in your specific case.