A mediation agreement is the written document that captures what the parties agreed to in mediation. It may be the full settlement of all issues or a partial agreement on specific issues. A mediation agreement is not automatically a court order it must be properly formatted and submitted to the court to become binding and enforceable.

A mediation agreement should be specific, complete, and clear about every term. Vague mediation agreements produce disputes about what was actually agreed. The time invested in drafting the agreement clearly at the end of the mediation session is far less costly than litigating what it meant later.

Under Arizona Rule of Family Law Procedure 69 a written settlement agreement signed by the parties or their counsel is binding. A mediation agreement that meets Rule 69 requirements is enforceable even before it is incorporated into a court order.