How Do I Find a Handwriting Expert Near Me?
No matter which city you live in, there is a forensic handwriting expert or a witness who serves your area.
Now, since a lot of testimonies can be done on Zoom, you may be able to hire someone qualified in a different location.
The misconception is that you need a handwriting expert nearby.
Let’s walk through that and see what kind of handwriting expert you do need, because I can help you decide if you need to get someone local or if you need to get the best that you can afford, even if that person’s in another city.
What is a forensic document examiner?
So, a forensic handwriting expert is also called a Certified Forensic Document Examiner. That’s the term that attorneys actually look for.
If a handwriting expert is called in a trial, they have to be designated by the judge as a qualified forensic document examiner to allow their opinion to be considered.
The word “handwriting expert” is a general catch-all term, which generally simply means someone’s an expert at looking at handwriting.
However, there are many aspects of handwriting expertise that don’t really pertain to most legal cases, like examining and analyzing the psychology behind handwriting.
A document examiner is an expert in handwriting specifically as it relates to forensic and legal process.
They have experience writing legal reports and giving expert testimony on their handwriting opinions.
They know the legal standards for certainty in an opinion.
Basically, if you’re dealing with a forgery or something in court, you want a document examiner. That’s the keyword you want to look for.
Obviously, if you’re watching this video or reading this article, you found one.
I’ve been doing this for 25 to 30 years, and I have a team of people, other certified document examiners, who work with us in different cities around the country that help serve the entire U.S., and even a lot of foreign countries.
So, finding a certified expert or finding a forensic document examiner near you really has to do with searching and making a few phone calls and asking some key questions.
What are the key questions to ask if you are hiring a forensic examiner?
Once you find a list of people who are perceived to be qualified, you need to ask some questions.
How many times have you gone to court?
What’s your training?
What’s your basis of opinion?
How long have you been doing this?
Has there been any time when a judge has not found you qualified?
That’s an important question because if somebody’s been to court 10 times, but they actually only got qualified five times, it means they may not be the best candidate for the job.
Can anyone call themselves a forensic document expert?
Unfortunately, there are people who put themselves out there as experts, but they never really finish their training.
We run something called the International School of Forensic Document Examination. We’ve had hundreds of students over the years, and we’ve had many of them quit for whatever reason. Life gets in the way.
Some of them are out there working. They never got finished. They never got certified.
And I’m not going to tell you their names because there are other people who also said, “Hey, this would be a good business. I’m going to help with mortgage loans,” but they’re not qualified.
So be mindful that you want someone who is court-qualified. They actually have the resume, and when you talk to them or talk to their assistants, you can say, “Hey, I’d like to see your CV.”
CV means “curriculum vitae.” It’s like a resume in the legal industry.
What’s the best way to search online for document examiners?
One of the easiest ways is to go to one of the directories. Handwritingexperts.com is a directory that I list myself on, as well as some of the experts in our offices.
You can also call our office directly, even if you don’t live near our main office. We will refer you to somebody in another city if it’s required.
How do I know if I need to hire a local handwriting expert?
It depends on the case.
Here’s when you want somebody local or semi-local: if you are dealing with a trust and a will, then in most cases, you’ll need the expert to go to court, schedule an appointment with the clerk at the probate department, and look at that will and testament with a microscope, with a scanner, with light boxes, and with tools that you don’t have.
So, as much as it’s great that you take a picture with your iPhone, that may not be good enough to create reliable testimony on whether or not that last will and testament is authentic.
When is it ok to hire a handwriting expert who lives in another state?
However, if you don’t have a wet signature and you don’t have a will and testament, you could get someone from New York to help you with your California case.
You could get someone from Michigan to help you with your Texas case.
It’s not so important that they have geographic proximity. About half of our cases are done with high-resolution scans and PDF files, and we write reports, and we never even meet the client face-to-face.
We have attorneys who work from LA, Dallas, Miami, and New York. They love working with us. It’s just that they don’t have a case where we have to physically look at a document.
Can I hire an out-of-town expert if my original document is filed with a local court?
Yes! In fact, I’m on a case like that right now.
I’m actually writing this from San Diego, California. I am working on a case that required me to travel to San Diego to look at 50 pages of a last will and testament, as well as the other trust documents that were in custody of the county records office.
That’s required because in that case, there was not only the handwriting in question but also the paper in question, the paper holes, and the age of the paper. Was something swapped out? Was it not swapped out?
So, there are a lot of things that can be seen in person that you couldn’t see on a scan or photocopy.
How much does it cost to hire a handwriting expert?
Cases that require travel are much more expensive. But if you have a case that is worth a million dollars, it makes sense to spend 10, 20, or $30,000 for an attorney and expert witness.
However, if you’re fighting over a $100 increase in your rent, it’s not worth the money. You can’t do it that way.
Basically, when you talk about how to find a handwriting expert, you probably should have a conversation with someone like me or someone who’s very educated in this field. Any staff member in any reliable forensic handwriting office can help you sort through what you need.
What you need will also dictate how long it takes and how much it costs. You know, prices these days range from a few thousand to $10,000 or $20,000, depending on how complicated your case is.
There’s really no easy answer to how much does it costs. It depends on many outside factors.
But hopefully, reading this gave you a better understanding of some of the things you need to look for and how to ask for help finding the best expert that you can afford for your case.
So find a handwriting expert near you. Start here. Go to handwritingexperts.com. or handwritingexpertusa.com. That’s one of the main websites where you can contact our office. We will refer you and give you an unbiased referral about your case and what you can do to win and what you can do to help someone like our people or me help you solve the mystery. What is the truth of this document? And that’s what real expert witnesses do with integrity.
Bart Baggett
The Nation’s Leading Forensic Handwriting Expert
CEO of Handwriting Experts Inc.
Forensic Document Examiner • Expert Witness • Legal Consultant
“We solve million dollar forgery cases.”
Telephone: 1-800-980-9030
YouTube: @thehandwritingexpert
LinkedIn: bartbaggett
Facebook: bartbaggett
https://www.instagram.com/forensichandwritingexpert
https://www.tiktok.com/@handwritingexpertsinc
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FAQ
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Q1: What is a forensic document examiner?
A1: A Certified Forensic Document Examiner is a court-qualified specialist who provides expert testimony on handwriting and document authenticity. They write legal reports, understand the legal standards for opinion certainty, and have experience testifying in court proceedings.
Q2: What questions should I ask before hiring a forensic document examiner?
A2: Ask how many times they have testified in court, whether a judge has ever found them unqualified, what their training and basis of opinion is, and how long they have been practicing. Always request their CV (curriculum vitae) to verify their credentials before hiring.
Q3: Do I need to hire a local forensic document examiner?
A3: Not always. If an original document must be physically examined — such as a will held in a probate court — a local or semi-local expert is strongly preferred. However, many cases can be handled remotely using high-resolution scans and PDFs, allowing you to hire the most qualified expert regardless of location.
Q4: How much does it cost to hire a forensic document examiner?
A4: Costs vary based on case complexity. Remote cases may cost a few thousand dollars, while complex cases requiring travel and in-person document inspection can range from $10,000 to $20,000 or more. Cases that involve physical travel to a court or records office are significantly more expensive.
