Keynote Speaker — Celeste Makoff

Deep Metadata in PDFs: Hidden Digital Fingerprints — What Forensic Document Examiners Need to Know About Metadata

Every digital document tells two stories. The first is what you see — the text, images and formatting. The second story is invisible but revealing — written in the document's deep metadata. Deep metadata can reveal revisions made, devices and software involved with the document, and the history of the document's creation. In the digital realm, it is a fundamental law that every action must leave a trace. The metadata instructs the computer about every font, color, image placement and more. Understanding what metadata exists and why can turn the metadata into a powerful tool for the FDE.

The AI Revolution in Document Forensics

Think of AI models as incredibly sophisticated pattern matching machines. They've been trained on millions of documents — learning what real contracts look like, how people typically write emails, what authentic signatures contain, etc. Just like a child learns language by hearing thousands of conversations, AI learns document creation by studying countless examples. When you ask AI to create something it is essentially saying "Based on the millions of examples I've seen, this is what should come next. It is prediction — not understanding — but it is getting frighteningly good at mimicking authenticity. This presentation will explore how AI may influence the field of forensic document examination.

Dr. Linthini Gannetion

Enhancing Forensic Document Examination Using Video Spectral Comparator (VSC)

The Video Spectral Comparator (VSC) has become an indispensable instrument in modern Forensic Document Examination (FDE), offering capabilities that extend far beyond conventional visual inspection.

This presentation explores the practical applications of VSC in three critical domains of FDE: ink analysis, handwriting and signature verification, and document authentication. The session will further highlight how VSC findings can be integrated with traditional examination methodologies to strengthen evidential value, particularly in cases involving altered documents.

Dr. Linthini Gannetion is currently the Managing Director and Forensic Document Examiner at SD Forensic Document Services, Malaysia's first woman-led private laboratory equipped with a Video Spectral Comparator. She holds a PhD in Forensic Document Examination from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Peter Johnson

Beyond the Opinion: Practical Trial Considerations for the Forensic Document Examiner

This presentation addresses the practical courtroom issues that can arise when forensic document examination evidence is presented to a jury. Drawing on the presenter's research and experience, this session will highlight ways forensic document examiners can help attorneys think more broadly about the trial setting in which document evidence is introduced.

The presentation is intended as a courtroom awareness resource for forensic document examiners who want to be more useful to counsel when a case moves toward trial. It encourages examiners to think beyond the technical opinion itself and to understand how their observations may help attorneys anticipate risks, communicate evidence more effectively, and better prepare for the realities of courtroom presentation.

Peter A. Johnson is co-founder of Paradigm, Inc. and Integrated Government Solutions (IGS). He has a 35-year career devoted to pioneering secure credentialing, records management, and modernization of academic and government services. A University of Virginia graduate in Language and Literature, he holds four patents and has built a reputation for combining operational insight, innovation, and careful observation to solve complex real-world problems.

Foster Freeman

Document Examination on the go: VSC® NOMAX

Join us for an exclusive webinar to explore the cutting-edge capabilities of the VSC® NOMAX, the ultimate handheld document inspection device designed for rapid, on-the-spot examination.

Discover how this lightweight, rugged, and ultra-portable tool empowers border security, law enforcement, forensic experts, and quality inspectors to detect forgery, verify security features, and inspect fine details with confidence. Learn about its advanced features, including multi-spectral LED illumination, UV-IR image capture, and 3-level zoom magnification, all tailored to enhance human inspection processes.

Brian Gormley

Brian Gormley has a dynamic transactional practice with tremendous experience representing clients at all parts of the continuum. Having worked with large institutions in the structured finance and capital markets world, developers, nonprofits and lenders in the multifamily housing market, and individual distressed homeowners and estates, he is familiar with all levels of clients and their associated needs. He has extensive real estate experience, representing clients in multifamily housing transactions, DC TOPA cases (Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act), foreclosure defense and short sales, and as a title attorney and a real estate broker.

He also has an active probate and estate planning practice and is always looking to push the envelope to develop creative and innovative solutions to client's unique and ever-changing needs. He has worked on and closed transactions totaling literally billions of dollars. He also has developed a unique niche of estate litigation, protecting heirs who have not received their inheritance as a result of improper decisions of fiduciaries and others.

Caveating wills and challenging trusts as a result of forgery, incapacity and even outright theft are hallmarks of this practice area, frequently with millions of dollars on the line. That said, no client is too small. He enjoys taking the time to listen to individual concerns, and structure deals or negotiations accordingly. Attention to detail is a hallmark of a competent attorney, but the ability to transition to bigger picture analysis and generate solutions to practical constraints is what sets him apart.