TERES in Singapore: How an Indian Legal-Tech Pioneer is Reshaping Global Arbitration 

The recent launch of TERES’s Singapore office at Maxwell Chambers Suites marks a significant milestone for the Indian legal-tech pioneer and the global arbitration community. Hailed by dignitaries as a proud moment for Asia that strengthens India-Singapore ties and increases diversity in the field, TERES’s expansion is built on its reputation for excellence.

As the first to introduce AI-powered transcription in India’s Supreme Court, its unique blend of lawyer and technist expertise has created secure, accurate, and cost-efficient solutions for transcription, e-discovery, and evidence presentation. Having already served over 500 cases and 40% of top law firms globally, this move reaffirms TERES’s mission to transform the international legal ecosystem with innovative, accessible technology from its new strategic hub in a world-leading dispute resolution center.

TERES in Singapore: How an Indian Legal-Tech Pioneer is Reshaping Global Arbitration 

The hallowed halls of Maxwell Chambers Suites in Singapore, a global epicenter for international dispute resolution, have witnessed the arrival of powerful new counsel. But this counsel doesn’t wear a barrister’s wig or carry a leather-bound legal tome. Its power lies in lines of code, neural networks, and a transformative vision for the future of law. The recent launch of Indian legal-tech pioneer TERES (Technology Enabled RESolution) in Singapore is more than a simple corporate expansion; it is a significant milestone in the global legal landscape, signaling a shift in where innovation is born and how it will be deployed on the world stage. 

For decades, the legal technology sector has been dominated by Western firms. The arrival of a homegrown Indian company, not as a user but as a leading provider and approved vendor for premier institutions like Maxwell Chambers, the DIFC Courts in Dubai, and the Supreme Court of India itself, challenges the established order and heralds a new era of diversity and competition. 

From New Delhi to the World: The TERES Origin Story 

To understand the significance of the Singapore launch, one must first appreciate the journey. TERES emerged not from a Silicon Valley incubator but from the intense, high-stakes environment of the Indian Supreme Court. Its foundational breakthrough was becoming the first company to introduce AI-powered transcription services to India’s highest court. This was no small feat. The complexities of legal language, the speed of argumentation, and the dire need for accuracy in a courtroom setting presented a formidable challenge that off-the-shelf transcription software could never hope to solve. 

TERES’s success stemmed from its unique DNA. As co-founder Abhinav Bhushan highlighted, its founding team is a rare “blend of lawyers and technologists.” This ensured the product wasn’t just technologically impressive; it was finely tuned for the specific, high-pressure workflows of legal practitioners. They didn’t just build a tool; they solved a pervasive pain point: the costly, time-consuming, and often error-prone process of creating the official record. 

This practical, problem-solving origin is key to their value proposition. Having serviced over 500 cases and 10,000+ hours of hearings, TERES’s AI hasn’t been trained in a lab—it’s been battle-tested in real-world scenarios, from complex commercial arbitrations to constitutional matters. This depth of experience is what now attracts elite global law firms, with TERES supporting over 40% of the firms listed in the Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 100. 

Why Singapore? The Strategic Imperative 

The choice of Singapore for its first international office is a masterstroke of strategic positioning. Singapore has meticulously cultivated its reputation as a neutral, efficient, and technologically advanced hub for international arbitration and litigation. The Maxwell Chambers facility is synonymous with this status, hosting the world’s leading law firms, arbitrators, and institutions. 

By planting its flag here, TERES is doing several things at once: 

1. Accessing a Global Nerve Center: Singapore is a crossroads for international disputes, particularly those involving cross-border investments in Asia. Setting up at Maxwell Chambers places TERES at the very heart of this activity, allowing it to build relationships and understand the needs of a global clientele directly. 

1. A Vote of Confidence in the Singapore-India Corridor: As Dr. Shilpak Ambule, India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, noted, this expansion comes at a time when bilateral ties are “stronger than ever.” TERES is a tangible manifestation of this relationship—a cutting-edge Indian company choosing Singapore as its gateway to the world. It moves beyond traditional trade into the realm of high-value knowledge and technology exchange. 

1. Meeting the Gold Standard: Being listed as an approved provider by Maxwell Chambers is a rigorous endorsement. It signals to the international legal community that TERES’s technology, security protocols, and service standards meet the highest global benchmarks. This credential is invaluable for a company looking to win the trust of multinational corporations and top-tier law firms. 

Beyond Transcription: The Full Suite of Transformation 

While AI-powered transcription was its entry point, TERES’s offering is a comprehensive ecosystem designed to streamline the entire litigation and arbitration lifecycle. Their expansion promotes a suite of tools that address chronic inefficiencies: 

• Document Management: Modern cases can involve millions of documents. TERES’s platforms use AI to categorize, tag, and manage this data deluge, making it searchable and accessible in seconds rather than weeks. 

• E-Discovery: This process of identifying electronically stored information is notoriously expensive. TERES’s technology uses machine learning to quickly surface relevant documents, emails, and communications, drastically reducing the manual labor required and, by extension, the cost for clients. 

• Electronic Presentation of Evidence (EPE): Gone are the days of massive trial trolleys laden with binders. TERES’s systems allow legal teams to present evidence digitally—from documents and photographs to video depositions—seamlessly in the courtroom or virtual hearing, enhancing clarity and persuasiveness. 

The magic is not just in the individual tools but in their integration. A transcript from a hearing can be instantly cross-referenced with a relevant exhibit from the e-discovery phase, creating a dynamic, interconnected web of information that empowers lawyers to build stronger cases, faster. 

The Human Insight: What the Dignitaries Really Mean 

The comments from the dignitaries at the launch ceremony provide a deeper layer of insight into why this move matters. 

• Dr. Shilpak Ambule’s emphasis on the timing being “right” speaks to a broader geopolitical and economic alignment. Singapore is a key partner in India’s global story, and technology is the new currency of that partnership. 

• VK Rajah SC’s point about “increasing diversity in the arbitration community” is profound. For too long, the supporting infrastructure of arbitration—from experts to tech providers—has flowed from a few traditional centers. The rise of a world-class Asian player like TERES enriches the ecosystem, offers more choice, and fosters healthy competition that ultimately benefits the end-user through better products and more competitive pricing. 

• Abhinav Bhushan’s simple statement that “an arbitration is only as good as its transcription” cuts to the core of the issue. The official record is the foundation upon which every appeal, every ruling, and every enforcement is built. Inaccuracy here can derail justice and cost millions. By solving this foundational problem with unparalleled accuracy, TERES isn’t just selling a software subscription; it is selling certainty and reliability. 

The Future of Law: Affordable, Accessible, and Asian-Led 

TERES’s mission, as stated by co-founder Vikas Mahendra, is to “empower the global legal ecosystem with affordable, secure, and transformative technology.” The word “affordable” is crucial. The high cost of legal services and dispute resolution is a significant barrier to justice and commerce. By leveraging technology to automate labor-intensive tasks, TERES is actively working to reduce these costs, making high-stakes litigation and arbitration more accessible to a broader range of clients. 

Their expansion challenges the notion that groundbreaking legal tech must be prohibitively expensive or exclusively Western. It proves that innovation can emerge from any market that has a deep understanding of acute pain points and the talent to solve them. 

Conclusion: A New Chapter for Global Legal-Tech 

The opening of TERES’s Singapore office is not merely a news item about a new branch location. It is a signal flare. It announces that the global legal technology market has a new, formidable, and innovative player whose roots in one of the world’s largest and most complex legal systems have given it a unique and powerful advantage. 

For law firms and corporations around the world, TERES’s arrival in Singapore offers a promise: that the processes of justice can be more efficient, more accurate, and more equitable. For the industry, it represents a welcome wave of diversity and competition. And for India, it is a point of immense pride—a clear example of homegrown ingenuity not just competing with the best in the world, but setting a new standard for them to follow. The future of law is being written not just on parchment, but in code, and a significant part of that code is now being compiled in Singapore, with a distinctly Indian accent.