A Real "Clincher"
When the investigator has a written report with a "high degree of certainty" in his hand, he can ask the suspect: "Why did you do it?" rather than "Did you do it?" According to some investigators we have worked with, this is a real "clincher."

"The Handwriting on the Wall"
If the handwriting is on a wall, a carton, or a plastic container, no problem. The unique features of the individual handwriting will still show up on any surface, just like fingerprints. Obviously, you can't bring the wall to the laboratory, but the expert will go to the wall and take close-up pictures with a high resolution camera.

About Writing Habits
Remember that no matter how well someone tries to alter the shape of his or her writing, there will almost always be a return to the natural style somewhere in the samples.

"Apples and Oranges"
Many times, the expert needs "oranges," as samples, but the client provides "apples" instead. To prevent this from happening, let the expert look for the best pre-incident samples. Only the expert knows what are the best samples for your particular case, starting with the suspect's personnel file. It may be time-consuming, but in the long run it will pay off.

Dress Rehearsal
When the expert witness is ready to testify, have the expert rehearse the testimony. For the best results, the attorney can "cross examine" the expert and the expert can "coach" the attorney. In fact, it may help to reverse roles to model questions for the attorney and specific challenges for the expert. This process will help both to achieve optimum results and win the case.