Hugs, Jersey. Divorce sucks. You're a great sister.

Every attorney I talked to said pretty much the same thing about custody: The courts support joint custody and shared parenting time in almost all cases. There has to be pretty exceptional circumstances for things to go otherwise. She probably knows that already.

I don't think there's a whole lot you can do to get her to go through with hiring and keeping an attorney, besides just sitting with her and reminding her she's not alone and you'll walk through this with her, whatever the outcome. And perhaps gently reminding her that her circumstances are exhausting, and the more worn she becomes, the less available she is for baby. Telling him, fine, we'll share time in order to prioritize making sure her home is financially stable so that she can better care for your niece might be the best strategy. Either he'll step up (win--baby has two responsible parents), or he'll be so busy going out that he'll be happy to leave the little one with her momma so he can go do his thing (win--she gets more time with baby).

So many hugs, and some for your sister too. I'm sorry she's facing this. Thanks for being in her corner.