Q9 Consulting, Inc. was founded by forensic document examiner, Mike Wakshull. At Q9, we partner with our clients across the United States and internationally to authenticate documents for legal purposes. Services include handwriting identification, signature authentication, examination of altered documents, computer-generated documents, digital documents, photocopies, contracts, wills, etc.
Our strengths are thorough communication with clients, customer service and clear reports. We communicate in jury-speak rather than techno-geek. When there is work product to share, we use video conferencing so our clients see our screen as we discuss the results of the examination.
Mike first studied questioned document examination in 1984 with Felix Klein. Mr. Klein was a world-renowned handwriting expert who consulted with international governments, the United Nations and private clients. Mike is one of only a handful of forensic document examiners with graduate school training in the science of forensic document examination.
Mike is skilled in using proper technology to examine the details of your case. He examines the handwriting and the questioned documents with a MiScope and DinoLite digital microscopes, different light sources, Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA) and Video spectral comparator (VSC). The ESDA is used to discover whether a person wrote on a page above the page being examined. The VSC is used to discover alterations on documents, differentiate inks, and differentiate paper used to create a document.
He employs both the 21 traditional elements of handwriting identification and a statistically-based process to discover truths based on the evidence. His opinions are always based on sound fundamentals.
The outcome of your case depends heavily on how it is presented in court by your expert witness. Our reports explain our findings simply and clearly, providing quantified evidence when possible. Mike is skilled at providing forensic expert witness services in California Superior Court and federal court. He has testified over 100 times.
As a professional speaker, Mike can speak to your company or organization or offer a full-day seminar. Many of Q9's presentations are approved for MCLE credit. You can find a description of existing presentations at https://quality9.com
Mike is often invited to speak at the annual conference of the National Association of Document Examiners (NADE). He presented research on micro-anomalies to assist in writer identification. The presentation was well-received, with attendees stating that in more than 25 years of attending the conferences, this was one of the important nuggets they learned. Another comment was, "I'm so glad we have left-brain geniuses in the field. Hope I can call on you if I need it" He has presented to the Association of Forensic Document Examiners conferences.
Mike served as conference chair for the April 2012 NADE conference in San Diego, CA, the 2015 Forensic Expert Witness Association's conference in San Diego, and the 2014 – 2022 on-line conference for Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners (SAFE®). He has been vice president of SAFE since 2014.
He was also invited to speak on forensic document examination at the World Congress of Forensics in Chongqing, China in October, 2011. There, he presented a paper on the effects of bias on document examiners? opinions, and a research paper on statistical process control to assist with writer identification. In 2021 he presented virtually to the International Association of Scientists & Researchers in New Deli, India.
Mike has offered MCLE presentations in person and virtually. He was an invited speaker to the California District Attorneys Association conferences and California Lawyers Association conferences.