Do what you believe is best for you and your children.
I wish I were more shocked by your lawyer's abyssmal advice. But I am dealing with exactly the small awfulness from lawyers. Once you run out of money they all want you to cave in, take a few crumbs and not cry or note that the system stinks.
The system stinks. And lawyers and judges are largely ammoral vandals. They are winning the money that we need for our children.
Arg!!! Don't give up. But it is tough. I don't know what happens next but without much money in my case the next lawyer that came along was worse than the one before her.
That leaves me wrestling with xah on my own. Losing there, too.
Right now the kids are just despising him. Cause he won't give us an inch, I had to pay last year's medical bills that are also his responsibility and now there's no money for necessities. So he gets almost all the money but he is losing the children's love. When he calls they stuff the phone behind the couch until it stops ringing.
Your A may find himself quite alone, too.
(((Hugs)))