2013: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

It's been a whirlwind 2013 for me and for Axess Legal Corp. The first quarter picked up pace in March 2013. In fact, there were days and nights that the entire team worked without a pause. Difficult to forget the night when clients unexpectedly turned up with an emergency situation and I missed attending my son's seventh birthday celebrations and returned home at about 1 AM. 

This is my seven year old - Jyotiraditya. (Secret: He wants to change his name to Sanand Junior as soon as possible!]

Coming back to 2013, the year has been mostly good, particularly after August. Of course, there is always a tossing in of a few surprises here and there. But it's been a positive journey so far for Rajeev & me as we worked towards expanding our areas of legal expertise and experience. Somewhat, pushing the envelope and testing new waters, you could say.

Though the courts are closed since last week, the office is busy and running with several client meetings and trips scheduled in advance. We have good support staff with a strong client focus - a HUGE advantage for any budding law firm. And the good news is that the pace of work is increasing as we head to the New Year - a good sign for lawyers like me who aren't bullishly into marketing a law firm over the Internet. 

What has 2013 been like for you? What are your New Year resolutions for 2014? Do drop by and share your thoughts. Who knows - you may inspire me to contemplate and commit to some serious New Year resolutions.

Parenting Quotes: Having a child should be fun

You are looking at a moment when my son and I passed by the village areas behind the Fort Kochi backwaters. The place is surrounded by small homes parked right in front of the sea. Boats, fishing nets and other fishing equipments are clustered around the area. We stopped the car - my son and I - because the crashing waves caught our interest as did the fishing nets. I let my son play among the wild waves for a few minutes. Tossing, turning and catapulting. Kids know how to loosen up and have fun. They teach us to have fun too.

Sharing a quote here: To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today ~ Anonymous

Another quote that I could connect to is this: One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun. - Jane Goodall

If you have any parenting quotes that resonates with you, share it here. We can learn a lot from each other.

Festive Season, Amritsar's Dhaba Food

Diwali's just got over. Hope all of you had a festive start to November. It's the month of festivals, holidays and for me, lots of traveling. The year 2013 didn't bring me too many tours but startlingly towards the end, it looks like I will be traveling a lot more frequently all the way till May 2014. Exciting challenges ahead for the entire team at Axess Legal Corp, lots of work coming up for us and many meetings to attend.

Flip side is this: Will be frequently away from home and especially from my son, who finds it very difficult (and vice versa) when I am not around to play cricket and other rough games with him. He's at that age when he wants to act like a man and idolizes all that I do. It's tough every time to leave him behind but there's no greater satisfaction than seeing his eyes light up with absolute joy when he sees that I am back home. Till the next weekend, that is! 

Travel, for me, is more like a culture and food trail. Amritsar is perfect for this. Here's one delicious Amritsar dhaba thali that I quite enjoyed.

What's the festive season been like for you? Are you all set to ring in 2014? Tell me about it...or better still, lets trade New Year resolutions next!

Free Legal Advice on Credit Cards: Are you liable to pay for your bank's mistake?

If you use credit cards for your transactions, this free legal advice may be useful to you.  Recently, a young IT professional came to me with a query regarding credit cards. He was issued a credit card by Bank X and a sum of Rs 8,000 was wrongly debited against the said card. Immediately, he informed the bank and the bank promised to reverse the debit. Following this mix up, he stopped using the card. So far, the story runs smooth. 

Here comes the glitch. Two years down the lane, he receives a credit card statement for Rs.32,000! He sought the bank's assistance to get the full credit card statement to understand how this happened, given that he hadn't used the credit card since the mix-up he had reported officially to the bank. 

Free Legal Advice for using Credit Cards

What's the way forward? Keep these simple legal tips in mind while using credit cards:

1.  If a wrong debit has been reversed as per the Bank's communication to the customer, the bank should have reversed the interest as well as other charges that was levied on the first amount. 

2. The important thing is that the customer should have conducted an immediate follow up to get a detailed statement of the reversal of charges. 

3. Simply not using the credit card was not enough - that didn't help, did it? Besides, where's the legal closure that one needs to show in terms of proof of communication and subsequent action from the bank?

Free Legal Advice: How to leverage Code of Bank's Commitment to the Customer 

 As a customer who feels wronged, the first point of contact is the bank's nodal officer whereby one can explain what happened and request the mistake to be rectified. If required, you have to go through the provisions of  The Code of Bank's Commitment to the Customer. This Code specifically states that it will provide a credit card statement to the card holder every month free of cost at the mailing address as per the bank's records. It also states that in the event of non-receipt of information, the bank will resend the details when a request is received from the card holder. 

Free Legal Advice: How to send copy of communication to RBI Customer Service Dept

In writing, bring this to the notice of the bank and send a copy of your communication with the timeline and details to the customer service department of the Reserve Bank of India. If you receive no reply or follow up, you can directly file a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman in your state. 

Places to shop in Kochi: Nucleus Mall in Maradu

My son and I like to spend time in Nucleus Mall, which is in Maradu, Kochi. The mall is very clean, attracts a decent crowd of college going students, families and kids. You can find some good retail shops like Max here and the surprise factor is this: the clothes range for men and kids is far better than the Max shop in Delhi. If you are looking to buy gifts for your family members, this is a good place to check out. 

Other attractions of Nucleus Mall include the well- managed Food Court with a free play zone area for kids, a DC books showroom that is a must-visit space for those of you who enjoy reading good quality books be it fiction or non fiction and last but perhaps the most important one, don't miss the 6 D movie center that plays 3 to 12 minute short movies. The overall effect and feel of these movies are fantastic. You are sure to enjoy the unexpected surprises that come your way as you watch the films.

Which is your favorite place in the city where you like to chill out with your family and simply have a good time? Write in:)

Eating out in Fort Kochi: Good times are back!

OK, so we are waiting for our food to be placed on the table. 

Once upon a time, having food on the table meant everything. It was a sign of abundance, of having survived and triumphed against the odds. But now, that has changed. More than water or food, we are dependent on gadgets such as our cell phones, tablets, etc for our survival and children are no exception. 

Fact of life as you can see below: In fact, ask any parent. Kids are the new generation experts on gadgets!

Eating out in Fort Kochi: Oceanos offers plenty of tasty treats

Summer vacation is when I head out with my family to Kerala. Here comes the best part: eating out in Fort Kochi. We enjoyed the monsoons to the fullest, took risks by heading out to the beaches when it rained hard and the waves crashed on to the shore. My seven year old loved every moment of this, so did I.

After a full day of sight seeing around Fort Kochi, we stepped into this restaurant called Oceanos at about three o clock noon. It was warm, inviting and we plonked ourselves into its cozy atmosphere at once.

Oceanos has some awards to its credit too. It has many tourists and travelers dropping in. This was our first experience there and we enjoyed the relaxing, homely atmosphere there.

Where did you go during this summer vacation? How did you enjoy it? Do drop a line and keep me posted.