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When Formula 1 racing legend Michael Schumacher went on a family skiing holiday in the French Alps six years ago, nobody expected him to fall and suffer a serious head injury which would end up with him being placed in an induced coma for 6 months, and still not be able to walk or talk. Although Schumacher may well have access to the very best medical experts, with his family now in charge, there is potential to cause a dispute between family members as to what the best medical action is for them to take, at what is no doubt already an incredibly stressful time. In Scotland you can appoint someone as your attorney, at a time when you do have mental capacity, to make decisions on your health and welfare via a Power of Attorney in the event that you lose the capacity to make certain decisions.

In Scotland, a surviving spouse/civil partner or children can make a claim on the estate of a deceased person using their Legal Rights. So if like actor Michael Douglas, whose father Kirk Douglas chose charity over his son when deciding how to divide up his £60million fortune, you think you have been short-changed, then you can make a claim. A child, even if he or she is not named as a beneficiary in the Will, can always claim his or her "Legal Rights" in a deceased parent's estate. 

Taking a child abroad without permission can be treated as child abduction. So whether it is a half term skiing trip abroad, or an Easter break in the sunshine, make sure you know what you can and can’t do before you start planning. As a child’s mother, you automatically have parental responsibility, but you still need the permission of anyone else with parental responsibility before you take the child abroad. If grandparents and other family members want to take a child abroad, permission will be needed from both parents with parental responsibility and not just from one parent.

When a relationship breaks down and parties separate, for whatever reason, it is inevitably a difficult experience. So it pays to be educated and to do your research on how the divorce process works as well as getting organised financially before you set the wheels in motion. From organising papers and ascertaining financial fitness (determine the marital estate’s net worth), to safeguarding valuables and consulting with a lawyer, there is a lot to think about.