Types of disputes where it is used

  • civil cases and cases in Russian state arbitrazh courts;
  • inheritance disputes and challenges to wills;
  • corporate documents and resolutions of members;
  • debt acknowledgements, contracts, records and applications.

What matters before an examination is appointed

Questions must be formulated correctly, originals made available, sufficient comparison specimens selected and the disputed document protected from damage.

Preliminary assessment: send a photograph of the document and information about the specimens. It is preferable not to fold the original, trace over the signature or add marks beside the document element to be examined.

How to define the subject of examination in a court case

Before submitting materials, it is useful to list the disputed entries. For each entry, identify the document, date, sheet, location and object type: signature, handwritten text or individual entry. If several signatures in one document are being checked, identify them separately. This allows each answer to be linked to a specific examined object.

Investigating who made a signature and checking the technical method used to apply its image are different tasks. The first requires suitable specimens of writing skill. The second concerns the properties of the document element and document. If both types of doubt arise, it is preferable to state them separately in the assignment so that technical similarity of the image is not treated as a ready answer about the writer.

  • State which originals are available and which objects survive only as copies.
  • Identify the person or group of people whose specimens need to be compared.
  • State which documents are submitted as reliable specimens.
  • For a review, attach the full report, feature tables and information about the objects used.

Preliminary assessment of a copy helps discuss the scope of examination, but does not promise conclusions as extensive as those possible from an original. The final document should clearly explain the objects' suitability, the features detected and the grounds for the answer. The question “is the signature forged?” itself needs clarification: it may concern the writer, imitation or technical reproduction of the image.