Attorney herein operates FAR differently than most attorneys.
Rather than focusing on how many billable hours attorney can bill for, attorney instead sizes up each case on factual basis (and much experience) -- and makes some type of estimate on what could happen (and why..) and what might NOT happen (and why..)...then taking into account the variables that have been made known, attempts to best determine the pros and cons of each, in part, based upon the past conduct, the past hearings (if any) and the potential hearings if applicable.
Because attorney has done family law for many years, attorney has seen many, many variables in human behavior; in wage income disparities; in prolonged custody issues; in bad human behavior- including handling criminal case issues; scads of mental issues including anxiety, bi-polar, narcissism, you name it; even with both parties being afflicted....criminal protective orders, domestic violence requests, supervised visitation, no contact orders, prolonged litigation by other party's attorney or even the opposing client themselves...... attorney has huge experience in cases involving animal law (even in federal court) and is competent on animal placement, even within a dissolution case (since CA law now provides that Judges can award custody of pets..)
If you would NOT like to have protracted litigation then it does pay to think ahead, even far ahead.
Some parents are honestly not suitable for being the custodial parent; and it will be obvious. Other parents know they are NOT the suitable parent and really doesn't even like watching the kids, but will pretend to be suitable to save on paying support. Inasmuch as shared custody is common, all of the aforementioned situations are things that will cost more money, usually, for nothing to be gained as far as proper parenting is concerned. Therefore, doing such things is a waste of money?
While attorney herein cannot stop this entirely, attorney makes no effort to hide these facts and will actually simply call out those facts throughout the case since litigation does take time if the parties continue to disagree.
Trial should be avoided unless absolutely required. As an attorney in family law, trial should usually be reserved only for issues that are a complete dead end, and there is a possibility of gaining something. It is a bad idea to do this just to raise the other side's costs. It is rather unethical actually, and attorney herein would not make that choice.