by Karla Fermano

What’s the Job of a Certified Handwriting Expert in Phoenix, Arizona?

In Phoenix, AZ, the phrase “certified handwriting expert” gets used a lot — and often incorrectly.

I see this confusion regularly with attorneys, business owners, and even clients preparing for litigation downtown near the Maricopa County Superior Court on Jefferson Street. So let’s clear this up the right way, without legal jargon or fluff. Short answer: a certified handwriting expert usually works in one of two very different professions. One role deals with legal truth and document authenticity. The other focuses on personality insight and behavioral tendencies. Same phrase. Completely different jobs.

by Bart Baggett

Do you need to hire a handwriting expert?

If you are an attorney, you are probably already familiar with hiring an expert witness for your case. Choosing the right expert witness is important. Most have worked with expert witnesses at some point in their career, but most haven’t hired a Forensic Document Examiner.

If your case involves a forged check, a last will and testament, a pre-nuptial agreement, a contract, or a signature that doesn’t seem to be authentic, you should be looking for a Forensic Document Examiner.

You should know a couple of things before you make your first phone call to a Forensic Document Examiner.  First, how many documents do you need analyzed? These are the documents that you and your client think may be forged or not authentic. The Forensic Document Examiner will refer to these as “questioned documents”. This is important to know since the Forensic Document Examiner will charge a fee per questioned document.