A forensic document examiner may be referred to as a handwriting expert or a handwriting analyst in the general public. Document examination is a discipline whereby the examiner will draw conclusions concerning a document or the handwriting, hand printing or typewriting on a document based on the evidence. Alterations of documents, authenticity of signatures, comparison of signatures, signature verification and handwriting identification as in cases of anonymous letters and forged signatures are among some of the issues regarding the authenticity of documents that a document examiner can address. The word "forensic" simply means the application of science to the law.
A graphologist or handwriting analyst should not be confused with a forensic document examiner. A graphologist, sometimes referred to as a handwriting analyst is a person that establishes a personality profile based on someone's handwriting. A graphologist does not have the same training as a document examiner and is not qualified to effectively render an opinion in document examination cases.
There are no colleges or universities that offer certification programs for document examiners. The accepted method of training is a 2-year apprenticeship with a court qualified document examiner. I participated and completed a 2-year apprenticeship and training program with a court qualified document examiner and I continue to participate in additional training to keep current with the latest information regarding document examination. Based on the experience and credentials of the document examiner and when a judge accepts the expert's qualifications, the opinion of the document examiner is admissible as evidence. A degree in forensic science or criminal justice is not a necessary requirement to become a document examiner.
I have specialized training and experience, served a 2-year apprenticeship, passed proficiency testing and I am certified. In addition, our published prices for verbal and written opinions are based on flat fees, not hourly rates so there are no surprises.
You can call me for a free consultation to discuss your case. Should you decide to retain me, I would need either the original documents or high resolution scans or copies of the original documents including exemplars which are known, verifiable handwriting samples used for comparison. I can provide you with an exhaustive list of where to get exemplars, if needed. I would examine the documents concerning your case and provide you with a verbal opinion. If necessary, I would then provide you with a written letter of opinion.
Certainly! We receive many cases such as this.
Typically, it takes 24-48 hours depending on my caseload at the time. Weekend and rush jobs have additional fees attached.