Rates, Retainers, and Policies
All clients who retain Mr. Bart Baggett must agree to these policies & procedures, as they include the working agreement, explanation of the currently published rate card, and clearly express the services contract you are entering into upon hiring Mr. Bart Baggett.
Bart Baggett, America's
Handwriting Expert.
Court Qualified. Experienced.
Forgery detection is a complicated and skilled profession which takes years of training. Bart Baggett is qualified to help you solve your case. We work with attorneys, individuals, and corporations in the US and Canada.
We reserve the right to update our rates at any time, but we do honor the “lab rate” and “consultation” rate which were published at the time of the case begin date. Once a new case has reached the phase of a written letter, any additional fees will fall under the currently published rate card. All verbal or written quotes (not stated in the standard rate card) are valid for 24 hours from the time conveyed.
The “case completion” date is defined as the moment an “official opinion” in verbal or written form is delivered.
All additional work such as depositions, second opinions, new document reviews, hourly consultations, court testimony, and additional lab work will be billed at the current published rate sheet.
There are no refunds of any kind after a verbal or written opinion has been rendered. We get paid to review documents and render the most honest opinion possible. We do not guarantee the results will support your case. Please refer to the rates page for our full chargeback and refund policy.
The following policies elaborate on what is included and not included in the published rate card for each service retained/rendered.
New Case, Lab Work, Verbal & Written Opinion or Declaration
The “flat rate” covers one questioned document and unlimited known exemplars of one unique individual. This rate includes up to 4 hours of billable time (lab time, attorney/client consultation, office administration, and/or clerical time) and one short “Official Letter of Opinion.”
All additional work is billed based on our published rate sheet. Those additional fees include, but are not limited to:
- Evaluating new questioned or known documents after the official opinion has been issued
- Court testimony
- Travel time and expenses
- Preparation of exhibits
- Second opinion / peer review
- All hourly work which exceeds the initial four hours
- Any time worked on a case after the “case completion” date (billed hourly)
- Consultation or expanded explanation of basis of opinion to non-attorney clients
- Long-form written report of findings including observations and detailed basis of opinion
Why should I hire Bart Baggett instead of another less-qualified examiner?
Bart is arguably the most recognized handwriting expert working in the USA.
If credibility, accuracy, and integrity are important to your case, hire Bart. He offers the same
rates as associates who have been working less than a year professionally. The only reason not to
hire Bart is if your court date conflicts with an existing trial commitment.
What training does a handwriting expert need to testify in court?
An expert's qualifications are judged by the judge in each case. Many working
examiners are not adequately qualified, but Mr. Baggett is very qualified and has testified
successfully in courts across the country.
My case contains no originals — can you still render an admissible opinion?
Yes. Bart testifies based on copies on a regular basis.
Will Bart's opinion be accepted in a court of law?
Of course, though an expert witness's testimony is never a guarantee the
judge will rule in your favor. Documents are usually one piece of a much larger puzzle.
Does Bart travel outside California for testimony?
Yes, often. All questions can be answered by calling our office. Your first
conversation will take place without a fee, so you can confirm you are hiring the right expert
for the job.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact our corporate headquarters
323-544-9277 ext 2