A partial agreement resolves some issues in a family law case while leaving others for later negotiation, additional mediation, or court decision. Partial agreements are valuable because they narrow the scope of what remains contested and reduce the cost and uncertainty of subsequent litigation.

A partial agreement should be documented as carefully as a complete agreement. The terms agreed should be specific and the issues not yet resolved should be clearly identified.

In some cases a partial agreement on the financial issues while parenting remains contested or vice versa allows each spouse to move forward with the resolved aspects of their lives while continuing to work on the remaining issues.