Questioned Documents Examiner

When you're involved in a court case that includes documentation of any sort, it's always good to consult with a questioned documents examiner before the case and to consider having their expert testimony as well. No matter how many witnesses you plan on calling to testify about a document, the word of an expert always goes a long way.

The services of a questioned documents examiner are not meant to have the expert say what you want this person to say; they will examine the documents in question and then come to their own conclusion. They can testify about those conclusions in court and explain their methods, and answer the other party's questions about those methods and their conclusions. Having a questioned documents examiner go over any documentation you have in your case before your case goes to trial is always recommended even if you don't like their findings, so that you know what to prepare for when it comes to the actual trial.

When to use their services.

For what type of documents and cases do you use a professional questioned documents examiner? This can be very obvious; you want to know if a will is legitimate and valid and if signatures on things like insurance documents are real. However, you may also need to look closely at things like anonymous and threatening letters to determine their author. It's good to have questioned documents examiners look at suicide notes if there is a question about the manner of someone's death. They may also be called in to examine financial records and medical records to determine if there has been any tampering.

Documents produced mechanically such as those that are typewritten or printed on a computer should also be checked by a questioned documents examiner. They can often examine details that allow them to determine their authenticity. As a matter of fact, any time any part of your case involves documents, it's always good to have a professional questioned documents examiner involved.

Why they're beneficial.

If you're having other witnesses testify regarding a document, why have a questioned documents examiner involved in your case? One thing to remember is that the testimony of an expert always holds more weight with a jury than anyone else. Sometimes witnesses don't come across as credible or reliable, or juries may tend to dismiss their statements as self-serving. However, a fair and impartial questioned documents examiner can mean having a jury believe what they say.

How they explain things in court is also important to remember when it comes to a questioned documents examiner. They can explain details more clearly than a layperson and explain how those details helped them to arrive at certain conclusions. Juries often appreciate hearing about the forensics of a case and the explanation from a questioned documents examiner can provide them with that. All of this means that your argument holds more weight when it's presented in court and deals with documentation of any sort.