Udaya Menon Associates is a buzzing office and is full of lady advocates. Yes, it is perhaps the only such team in Tamilnadu. The founder Udaya P.S Menon appears in Coimbatore, the High Court in Chennai and the Supreme Court as well. Her Upasana Devata is Mookambika of Kollur in Karnataka. She has named her apartment as ' Sowparnika ' (river in Kollur) in New Dehi. Her husband Sundaran Menon is an advocate too and her kids Sneha, Aravind are pursuing law.
Udaya Menon Associates is a buzzing office and is full of lady advocates. Yes, it is perhaps the only such team in Tamilnadu. The founder Udaya P.S Menon appears in Coimbatore, the High Court in Chennai and the Supreme Court as well. Her Upasana Devata is Mookambika of Kollur in Karnataka. She has named her apartment as ' Sowparnika ' (river in Kollur) in New Dehi. Her husband Sundaran Menon is an advocate too and her kids Sneha, Aravind are pursuing law.
"My father Narayanan used to move about and therefore my mother Sreedevi tagged along. We lived in a number of places. I did my integrated law programme from the Coimbatore Law College (1983 - 1988) from the old heritage building on Race Course. My career began under the popular criminal lawyer C.P.Venkataraman and post 1993 I began my civil practice. My other mentor was S.Kothandaraman and he guided me in civil matters. I entered the field at a time when there were hardly any women advocates. Today our firm has thus far trained and sent out 14 lady advocates. It has been a gratifying journey," stated Udaya Menon.
Udaya P.S Menon Associates has a seven member team. All of them are married and have a family to attend to. Importantly they are first generation lawyers. They can be called ' Saptamatrukas '. Nowadays Udaya spends a lot of time in New Delhi and work is hectic. Her team consisting of Revathi Rajesh, Kannamma Selvaraj, Prabhavathi, Jaya Poornima, Chitra Shinny and Logarupini take a lot of care in order to ensure that every matter is pursued properly. Together, they also manage an NGO called JWAALA (Justice for Women through legal Aid & Awareness). This platform is used to conduct awareness programmes in the work place for women.
The dynamic lady belongs to the family of warriors. Ourfamily comes from the tradition of Thacholi Othenan. "There was a time in the olden principalities when issues were sorted out through single combats. One from each side would enter the arena and preference was given to women. The winning side takes over thereafter. My mother comes from such a background and it is the ability to fight while also withstanding an onslaught which is important. I am often motivated by my background while taking on in a male dominated profession. In fact I did not even have a role model then,“ smiled Udaya.
Udaya Menon has been taking up High Court roles from 2005 and began her tryst with the Supreme Court from 2010. She has been a member of the SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) since 2013. Udaya Menon has appeared for an exam which will permit her to become an AOR (Advocate on Record). "I thought that being a lady advocate was a liability those days. Nowadays I think and consider it to be an asset. Clients feel comfortable with us and they understand that we are dedicated. In New Delhi, I take up a lot of work and lots connected with the constitution, trademarks, patents etc., We are interpreters of the constitution and this gives me great joy. Our USP is based on preparedness and awareness. We make each client understand about their issue and this prepares them for the outcome. A thorough briefing is given to them in the first place. This helps in a big way," added Udaya.
Revathi Rajesh and Kannamma Selvaraj taught each other Tamil and English. "I was a mother of three kids before pursuing law. Revathi helped me with English and I helped her with Tamil. Both of us are successful today," stated Kannamma Selvaraj.
"We are wives, mothers, daughters and daughters in law in our day to day life. Many of us live in joint families and our spouses have been extremely supportive. We are multi tasking everyday in a male dominated bastion. Each one of us make sure that we put in the best at all times. Our clients and their interests are very important. We do not build networks based on social life and our work is our symbol. It is our duty to take care of our clients," mentioned Revathi Rajesh.
The ladies shared details about some different experiences. "One guy portrayed himself to be traditional and got married. Later he bagan to use violence. His behavior in every sense was atrocious and he had threatened his young wife with dire consequences. The girl went to the authorities and did a check on him. She discovered that his background was sullied and later sought our help. Meanwhile he had attacked her father too. Now the father is no more and she is trying to get justice. There are delays due to a number of reasons. We have to equip ourselves better in order to provide better results in a timely manner."
Udaya is very spiritual and states that her fasting at the time of Navaratri gives her a lot of strength. On Fridays, she just lives on fruits. She wants to improve the quality of her profession, "The students from the good Law Schools have improved the quality. They are offering a good foundation. This has to be introduced all over the country. The system has to move ahead. I have great regard for the Guru Sishya Parampara. The system which is part of the Advocate On Record (AOR) should be followed nationally. Each one of us should write that exam, pass and then be permitted to practice. ' Pleading ' should be pucca. This is the best way to improve the standards. Similarly we should have a special programme like the civil services exams for the judiciary. It will surely add to the lustre of the entire set up. An IAS kind of a course will surely bring out the best. Once the judicial officers are given the best, the results will be marvelous. Education based on experience will help the country," opined Udaya P.S. Menon while elaborating on her firm, goals and the interest of the country.
The hard work and commitment of this unique all women's team of advocates is sure to win many a match.