Coarse filtering

I see a lot of comments about waiting until it stops dropping Lees, waiting for the yeast to stop fermenting etc.

In regards to the lees, can you substitute what with occasional coarse filtering to speed the process up?

As to the fermenting, is it bad to introduce sulfites or sorbates etc to stop the yeast instead of waiting for it to stop on it's own?

I would say no. The idea behind waiting is that the yeast will use up the sugar, go dormant and settle to the bottom. if you try to filter out the yeast before they're done you'll get some, but the rest will slowly but surely reproduce and recloud the wine.

The filtering aspect was more in regards to the lees and particulates.

I normally add potassium sorbate to keep yeast from restarting

There are filtering processes that can work but it is usually more popular to let the yeast settle or use finning agents since filtering can strip flavor and aroma.

To stop the yeast early you can do what is called cold crashing and stabilizing in order to stop fermentation early. I have successfully done this once with a spiced pumpkin mead but there are varying amounts of success depending on yeast types. Basically when you are right at where you want your gravity but the yeast is still active, place the brew in the fridge on the coldest setting. The closer to about 40*F the better. Let that sit about a week and then add in Camden and potassium sorbate. I added a little more than package direction. Since it is harder for yeast to settle out in a higher gravity brew you can leave it in the fridge and the cold will help the yeast fall out.