A mum-of-two could get almost half a million pounds from her estranged husband after he walked out of their marriage and left her to cover childcare singlehandedly.
In a High Court ruling on Friday, a judge ordered her former spouse to pay £400,000 for the impact it will have on her future.
The woman - who cannot be named - curtailed her career as a lawyer so she could look after her children following the breakdown of their marriage.
Judge Justice Moor said that the pair - who were married for about a decade and have two children - should split their assets of nearly £10million.
He said the woman, who was educated at Cambridge University, should also be compensated for sacrificing her legal career.
The judge described his decision as an exception, arguing that there had been a "relationship generated disadvantage".
He said the man, also a lawyer, had a "stellar" career, which he will continue to pursue.
Detail of the case emerged in a ruling produced by Mr Justice Moor following a recent private family court trial in London.
He ruled that the couple, who live in London and are both solicitors in their 40s, cannot be identified in media reports of the case.
Lawyer Jane Keir, who is based at law firm Kingsley Napley and represented the woman, said after the ruling: "We are delighted to have secured a successful outcome for our client.
"As a talented lawyer, our client sacrificed a potentially lucrative career for her family and to care of the children, and we are pleased that Mr Justice Moor agreed.
"Although Mr Justice Moor has made clear this decision should not open the floodgates to a raft of relationship generated disadvantage claims, the judgment affirms that in truly exceptional circumstances the principle of compensation still exists in family law, and rightly so.
"In theory, this would apply to whichever partner steps back in their career putting family ahead of ambition and earning power."
