Emily J. Will Forensic Document Examiner

In an age of electronic communication, paper documents and signatures handwritten with ink are still the way most business is transacted. Civil and criminal legal cases, domestic and business disputes and other controversies hinge on alleged irregularities in checks, wills, contracts, insurance policies, deeds, and other questioned documents. This is the realm of the forensic document examiner.

Forensic Document Examination relies upon a combination of principles used successfully for the past century, and techniques and technology that are at the leading edge of 21st century science. This Web Page explains some basics about the work of forensic document examiners and handwriting identification experts. While this web might be of primary interest to attorneys and clients with suspect documents, there is much here of general interest. For an overview of this profession, study the FAQs, typical document examination applications, and basic theory about handwriting identification. Learn about optical microscopes, and try to identify the mystery images. See how different print processes are identified and how faded writing can become visible. Tour a forensic document examination laboratory , read about famous document cases, or see a sample report or an article about handwriting samples. If you have a document problem that requires an expert document examiner, please consider my CV or visit the contact page.