Fiona Sasan is one of Scotland’s top family lawyers. Renowned for her skill in arbitration and specialising in complex financial situations, she has been with Scottish firm Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP for 19 years

How does your week typically begin?

Monday can be a really hectic prep day for complex court hearings, involving last-minute meetings with clients and expert witnesses. I can also be faced with a number of new clients, most of whom are pitching up in crisis because they’ve just learned that their relationship is breaking down, or they’ve made the momentous decision to end a relationship. They’re usually paralysed by fear. My objective is that clients leave my meetings feeling that knowledge is power. 

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone contemplating a divorce?

Equip yourself with a full understanding of what the implications might be. People have embedded assumptions that are not quite accurate – a common one is assuming they’ll lose half their business or pension. They’re often cowed by a partner who is giving off the vibe that they know much more than they do, and they’ll spin some story about how they’ll get nothing. It’s just dispelling those myths and trying to put a really clear structure around everything. 

Can you tell us about a case that really illustrated that?

The extreme example is the client who came to me and said her husband had offered her £350,000 to go away. She had been married for 34 years, and was clearly stressed and desperate to get away. We talked about what was going on at home, and whether it would be helpful for her to have counselling before she made any decisions. I saw her again twice, and in that time her husband offered her £700,000, then £900,000. By that point, she had moved out of the house, was feeling much better after counselling, and did not want to accept that final sum. Three years later, we got her £4.5 million.

There was a news story at the time implying the client didn’t deserve a share of those marital assets. Is that a view that’s generally still being perpetuated?

Not in court, but it’s peddled by controlling spouses, and it’s not limited to just men. I repeatedly say to people: marriage is a partnership, and if you’ve been able to go out and earn a fortune, then you’ve done so with the support of your partner. You may not think that support is worth the same as the wealth you’ve generated, but that’s not the eyes of the law. I was furious about that article, because it perpetuated a very old-fashioned view. 

You’ve been a partner at your law firm for 16 years. What qualities have got you to where you are?

I’m fascinated by human behaviour, and if you manage to navigate that successfully, it’s the most rewarding thing you can do. What’s right for one individual in getting every penny may not be right for the other individual, who just needs peace in their life and enough to move forward. Understanding a bit about the psyche is really important, and after 38 years, I think I’ve got an insight.

What has been your biggest learning curve?

I learn every day. The faster the pace you move at, the more expertise you gain. I worked on a case that was reported last year, where we lost at the first round. A woman had escaped her American husband, a bizarre man who had abused her from the States with thousands of texts, every minute of every day. It was about not letting go when it didn’t feel right, and we successfully appealed her being sent back to the US. That day was joyous, because I was terrified I was going to send somebody back to an environment where she was going to be re-exposed to this domestic abuser. 

What are you proudest of in your career?

Being involved in running cases which have made law in themselves. When you run a case that makes a mark, it becomes your legacy. In 2011 we acted for a client whose husband was very challenging. He was carrying on a number of different relationships, and had a number of children to other people that our client knew nothing about. He endeavoured to put his wealth into a trust, and we managed to pull that trust into the divorce, and get our award out of it. That was groundbreaking.