FAQ's

What is a forgery? Forgery is the false making of a document with an intent to deceive.  

What is a Forensic Document Examiner? A Forensic Document Examiner is an expert in the field of document examination by way of skill, education, training, experience or knowledge, and who uses accepted forensic document principles and techniques.  

What is the definition of 'forensic'? Forensic is defined as 'of, relating to, or denoting the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime.'  

How much does a document examination cost? That depends on how many questioned documents are involved. The standard fee for a Verbal Opinion is $375.00. This fee covers a minimum of 3-hours examination time. If your case involves multiple questioned documents, an additional hourly fee will incur. After receiving a Verbal Opinion, a notarized, written Letter of Opinion may be added for an additional $250.00.  

How long does a document examination take? After all case documents and payment is received, an opinion is usually rendered within 2-3 days. Some examinations may take longer due to the quantity of documents examined, complexity of the case, and current case load or scheduled court appearances of the examiner.  

How many signature samples are needed? Signature identification normally requires 15-20 verifiable known signature exemplars for a document examination. However, the known exemplars provided must be of sufficient quantity and quality. 

Can I fax the documents? If original documents are available, it will be requested to examine the originals. A Chain of Custody will be issued on all original documents and the originals will be returned after the examination is complete. However, at times, original documents are not available. In that case, a document examination may be performed on photocopies or scans. Should a case proceed to trial, it will be necessary to examine any original documents that are available before the trial.  

My case is not going to court.  All I want to find out is "Who Did It?"  Is the fee still the same? Whether your case proceeds into court or not, a document examination still takes time to perform. The price is still the same.  

What do you charge to testify? An expert witness is paid for their court appearance and their time, not their testimony. A document examiner is not a 'bought' or 'paid' witness. Click on Fee Schedule for more information.  

I do not live in Florida.   Can you represent my case in another state? Yes. A document examiner is not licensed to work in only one state. A document examiner can examine handwriting cases from anywhere in the United States and work International cases as well.  

My case is going to court in another state.  How much will it cost for an Out-of-State court appearance? An expert witness is paid for their court appearance, as well as any travel expenses incurred. To eliminate the added cost of travel expenses and with the approval of the court, a document examiner is available to testify 'over-the-phone' or via 'video tele-conference.' In addition and with court exception, a full, written detailed report is also available in lieu of a court appearance by the expert. Click on Fee Schedule for more information.  

What is a certified document examiner? Certification means 'an official document attesting a certain fact, in particular, a document attesting a level of achievement in a course of study or training.' A certified document examiner has completed a course of study and has received a Certificate attesting to such. 

What certification does a Forensic Document Examiner need? According to the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 702. Testimony by Experts: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. Please note that there are certain document examiner associations created by and comprised of 'government trained' examiners who imply their associations are federally mandated. This simply is not true. 'Government training' may by obtained at a weekend seminar covering many other topics, a 2 or 3-week course, or a full apprenticeship. The question posed by this examiner is: Who says or mandates that a 'government trained' employee is anymore trained or knowledgeable than a privately trained examiner? The court and legal system is comprised of 'non-governmentally' trained lawyers and judges...  Someone in need of the services of a document examiner should look for a document examiner who has the requirements specified by the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 702. 

What is the difference between document examining and Graphology®? Document examining determines whether a signature, handwriting, or document is genuine or not. Document examiners are often able to identify the author of anonymous or threatening letters. At times, document examiners are able to identify forgers. Graphology® (or handwriting analysis) determines personality characteristics from handwriting.  

Can a document examiner be trained in both document examination and handwriting analysis? Yes. Just as a doctor who obtains a medical degree and then chooses to specialize in a certain part of the anatomy or a lawyer who studies the whole legal system and decides to specialize in a specific field of law, a document examiner or handwriting expert may study all aspects of handwriting, including handwriting analysis.  

Contact GraphoWrite at analyst @ graphowrite .com for more information.