In the world of the courtroom, it is of incredible importance to make sure that every piece of evidence has been closely investigated to ensure their validity as a source of information for a legal case. This is especially true of document evidence, which can more easily be altered or forged than bullet casings from… Read more »
Are We Witnessing the Death of Handwriting?
Handwriting, whether in cursive or print, has long been one of the oldest forms of communication between people. The incredible rise of technology in recent years that allows for digital forms of communication has greatly reduced the amount of people who rely on handwritten communication. Some have even wondered if e-mail and texting will spell… Read more »
Five Ways to Get the Best from Your Handwriting Expert
1. Ask as many questions as you can. If this is your first experience with a Forensic Document Examiner, it is likely you will have loads of questions. Most experts are glad to answer your questions to help you understand just what it is we do. It is also important to understand what we do… Read more »
Expert Handwriting Comparisons
There is no magic to comparing the handwriting of a questioned document with samples of another writer. Nor are handwriting experts necessarily gifted with some supernatural ability to identify the signatures of others. What a handwriting expert does have is a peculiar interest in the fine details of handwriting and many hours of training and… Read more »
Do I Need a Document Examiner?
In this world of rapidly-changing technology and complex litigation, how does one know for sure what kind of expert to hire? For every problem to solve, there is an niche with experts willing to help. More often than not, a complicated case requires more than one expert. If you are not sure if you need… Read more »
Hurry up and Wait
Being an expert witness has its ups and downs. One day you are packing carefully for an onsite examination in Nairobi, the next day the proceedings have stalled and the thought of the cases you have turned down because of your travel plans reminds you how fickle is the justice system, both here and abroad…. Read more »
FDE or QDE – What am I?
I do not keep track of the number of times I am asked what I do and I respond with the commonly accepted title of Forensic Document Examiner, only to be met with either a puzzled look or the sudden recognition of the word, forensic, and a long diatribe about loving CSI, Las Vegas. (My… Read more »
Don’t Rush the Document Examiner
It is Friday afternoon. I get a phone call; the voice on the other end is frantic. “I need to have some signatures authenticated. Can you do it by Monday?” Sorry to say, this is not an uncommon call at our office. In spite of what the layman may think, a proper document examination can… Read more »
Is My Notarized Document Genuine?
It is surprising how often clients ask this question, especially since the real estate controversy surrounding “robo-signing” of refinance documents. A client brings a copy of what looks like an official document wondering how in the world a Notary could verify what appears to be a forgery. Evidently, it is a common misconception that besides… Read more »
The Typewriter Returns!
This report makes me glad I paid attention during the typewriter segment of my training in document examination. Here’s the link http://bit.ly/zfOveG