Has your signature or someone else’s signature been forged? If so, here are some things to know about hiring a handwriting expert.

First of all, how many documents do you need to be analyzed? These are the documents that you and your client think may be forged or not authentic. Our experts at Handwriting Expert Florida will refer to these as “questioned documents”. This is important to know since we have the option of charging a flat rate fee per questioned document or hourly. 

Most Handwriting Experts charge an hourly rate and require a $2500 retainer.  We offer a flat rate between $700 – $1295 for a written opinion of one or two documents. Rates do vary depending on the number of questioned documents or other services such as testimony or microscopic examination. Attorneys can also request a retainer. Retainers can vary but are normally $1950 and most are non-refundable. You should download the fees from the Handwriting Expert’s website to avoid any surprises.

Handwriting Expert New York will also need samples of the known handwriting so we can compare them against the questioned document(s). These are samples of the actual signature.  These known documents should be from the same time frame and you should provide as many known documents as you can.  For the Handwriting Expert to do the best job possible, the known samples should also be a high-quality copies.  No one is going to win a case by looking at a poor fax copy.

Can you hire a Handwriting Expert for a case in another state? 

Most people feel they have to hire someone in their own hometown.  However, this simply isn’t true anymore.   Since the COVID-19 crisis, many courts are now taking testimony through video conferencing.  That means we can handle any case across the country or world for that matter.  The questioned document can be examined through high-resolution scans sent by email or uploaded to a secure website. We can also come to you and take microscopic photographs of the originals. 

Hiring a Handwriting Expert is like buying a parachute.  You never want to buy a parachute based on the lowest price. You would always want to buy the safest parachute regardless of cost. Hiring a Handwriting Expert is no different.  You want the most qualified and experienced expert for your case and not someone who is close by.  You can tell who the most qualified and experienced expert is by looking at their Curriculum Vitae. That is just a fancy word for resume. 

If you are looking to hire a Handwriting Expert in Florida for your case, contact us now to schedule a free consultation. Or call us at 1-305-459-1544.