Keystone Partners' Anupama Hebbar and Vikas Mahendra leave firm to champion animal rights and AI in law

Keystone Partners' Anupama Hebbar and Vikas Mahendra have stepped down from the firm to pursue their respective callings beyond conventional legal practice.

An avid animal lover, Hebbar has long devoted her personal time to animal rescue and rehabilitation initiatives. Even while at the firm, she was involved in several high-impact animal welfare cases, including representing PETA in matters relating to testing of drugs on animals, acting in the series of Kambala matters seeking to prevent cruelty against animals and taking on cases against various circuses to protect animals from exploitation.

She is now set to work in the field of animal rights and wildlife conservation. Speaking on her decision, she said,

"There is no place I would rather have been at than Keystone - an incredible and tremendously talented group of lawyers and staff members. The partners at the firm are both close friends and colleagues I have come to deeply respect for their professionalism and legal acumen. I leave with a heavy heart, but also excited to spend more time in nature and caring for animals. The world could use some more compassion in these troubling times and I am keen to focus more of my energy and efforts in this direction."

Mahendra has built a formidable reputation as one of India's foremost arbitration specialists, particularly in construction disputes.

A passionate advocate for the intersection of law and technology, Mahendra is the Co-founder of TERES, which has established itself as a pioneer in the application of AI to arbitration and dispute resolution. TERES first rose to national prominence when the Supreme Court of India deployed its AI-powered transcription technology on a pilot basis during Constitution Bench hearings under then Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. The platform is now approved and used by the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts, HKIAC and Maxwell Chambers, among others and services clients across 60+ countries. It has also been featured in the UNESCO Global Toolkit on AI for the Judiciary.

TERES is currently working on several pilots with various High Courts across India to use AI to improve accessibility and speed of justice delivery and to help reduce the massive backlog of pending cases. On the global stage, the company is helping law firms, courts and institutions become AI-native and leverage the power of technology.

Speaking on his decision, Mahendra said,

"My time at Keystone has been exceptional. I've worked alongside remarkably talented colleagues who hold quality, dedication, and integrity at the heart of everything they do. They also happen to be the most enjoyable group of people I've worked with. Leaving that environment is among the most difficult decisions I’ve taken. But I believe the next 24 months represent a rare and fleeting window of transformative potential. My ambition has always been to improve dispute resolution at a scale beyond the matters I can handle personally, and I am making this move to build tools to do exactly that."

Confirming the development, Managing Partner Pradeep Nayak said,

"Anupama and Vikas are not just exceptional lawyers, they are exceptional human beings. They have been instrumental in building this firm over the past decade, shaping its culture and its reputation in equal measure. Watching them grow into the thought leaders they are today has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my own journey at Keystone.

It is not easy to let go of two people who mean this much to us, both professionally and personally. But we have always believed that this firm exists to nurture the finest talent, to create thought leaders, and ultimately, to contribute to making the world a better place. Anupama's commitment to the welfare of animals and her courage in taking on some of the most difficult cases in this space is nothing short of inspiring. Vikas's work with TERES is already transforming how courts and institutions around the world function — from the Supreme Court of India to international arbitral institutions.

We could not be prouder of both of them. They leave with our fullest support, our deepest admiration, and our very best wishes for everything that lies ahead."

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