What We Examine
When It Matters
- →Contracts, variations or agreements alleged to have been backdated
- →Letters, file notes or minutes produced late in a dispute
- →Wills, deeds and trust documents where the digital version is in question
- →Altered invoices, payslips and financial records in fraud and insolvency matters
- →Employment disputes over warnings, policies or performance records
- →Family law disclosure where records appear to have been edited
Accuracy and Limits
Metadata is easy to change, so we never rely on it alone. We test each date against the file’s internal structure, the source device and any cloud or backup copies, and report where they agree or conflict. We examine digital files; handwriting and ink on paper originals are a separate discipline, and we will tell you when you need that kind of examiner instead.
Testing a document produced by the other side? See disclosure and case review.
Related Guides
Common Questions
Can you tell if a document was backdated?+
Often. File system dates, internal metadata, template and font versions, and copies held in email or backups can show when a document was really created or changed.
Does changing the computer’s clock hide the change?+
Not usually. It alters some timestamps but leaves others untouched, and those inconsistencies are themselves evidence.
Can you examine a printed document?+
We examine the digital files behind it: the document it was printed from, earlier versions and any scans. Handwriting and ink analysis need a forensic document examiner.