Legal Investigations
Forensic Science and Handwriting Analysis
Questioned document and handwriting examination, and access to the forensic specialists a case needs, coordinated and documented by the investigator running the file.
- #1 Private Investigator in Texas
- Texas License #12818
- Twenty-five years of experience
- Marine veteran owned
- Statewide Texas coverage
- Free confidential consultation
What this is
Handwriting & Forensics, in plain terms.
Evidence is the whole business, and some evidence needs a specialist. A signature on a will that the family does not recognize. An altered contract. A note whose authorship is the entire dispute. Questioned document examination is a discipline of its own, and it is one where the examiner’s qualifications matter as much as the finding.
What the agency does is run the process around it. Collect known exemplars properly, because a comparison is only as good as what it is compared against. Preserve the questioned item without contaminating it. Engage the right examiner for the specific question. Then take the finding and put it into the file in a form counsel can use.
The work
What actually gets done.
- Collect known handwriting exemplars in sufficient quantity and of the right kind.
- Preserve and document the questioned item, with chain of custody maintained.
- Engage a qualified questioned document examiner.
- Coordinate other forensic disciplines the matter needs.
- Investigate the circumstances around the document, which frequently matters as much as the writing.
- Deliver the finding as part of a complete investigative file.
Legal Investigations
Built for the file, not for the story.
Statements taken on the assumption somebody will ask how. Chain of custody maintained. An investigator who can be put on the stand to speak to his own work.
What you get
At the end of it.
- The examiner’s written opinion and qualifications.
- A documented chain of custody from collection to examination.
- The investigative work surrounding the document.
- An expert who can be qualified and can testify.
When people call
The three situations we hear most.
A signature is disputed
Wills, deeds, contracts, checks. The most common questioned document matter by a distance.
A document appears to have been altered
Added text, changed figures, substituted pages.
Authorship is the question
An anonymous letter, a note, a threat.
Questions
About this service.
What do you need to compare a signature against?
Known exemplars - genuine samples written by the person - and generally a number of them, ideally from around the same period. Collecting those properly is a job in itself and doing it badly can waste the examination.
Is handwriting analysis the same as graphology?
No, and the distinction matters. Questioned document examination compares writing to determine authorship. Graphology claims to read personality from handwriting, and no court should be asked to rely on it.
Will the examiner testify?
We engage examiners on the basis that they can be qualified as experts and can testify to their findings.
Is the first conversation really free?
Yes, and it is confidential. You describe the situation, we tell you whether an investigation is likely to help, roughly what it would involve and what it would cost. There is no charge for that call and no obligation at the end of it.
More in this area
Other services in Legal Investigations.
Where we work
Four metros, and the rest of Texas.
Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio are where most cases start. Coverage runs to the whole state, and records and asset work is run nationally.
Free consultation
Tell us what is going on. The first call is free.
Describe the situation and we will tell you honestly whether an investigation would help, what it would involve and what it would cost. Confidential, no obligation, and no charge for the conversation.