

The format of a character witness letter for court is a business letter.

SAMPLE CHARACTER WITNESS LETTER HOW TO
How to write a character witness letter for court

The assessment of your friend’s or relative attributes is the only thing that matters when you are writing a character witness letter. The mere fact that your friend appears in court is enough to say something, and it is for this reason that there is no room for error. You might not know it, but character reference letters for court appearances can play a significant role in defining the remainder of your friend’s or relative life. It may also allow a lawyer to craft a compelling defense for the defendant by directing the character witnesses to focus the court’s attention on the defendant’s character.Īt the end of the day, a character reference for the court has an impact on the final sentence imposed in the case, whether it is civil or criminal. The primary goal of a character reference for court is to present the Judge with a detailed written statement on the Defendant’s reputation, morals, and mental qualities.Ī court character reference letter helps the judge or jury in understanding who the defendant really is beyond the facts of the case. I have already shared the samples of character reference letters in child custody and DUI cases, You can check them here Purpose of character witness letter for court Your letter is a golden chance to help your friend get court clemency, it can greatly influence the judge in sentencing your friend, so never take it for granted.Ĭharacter references for court are typically offered in child custody and/or drunk driving (DUI) cases, but they can be utilized in any situation where the court needs to hear about the Defendant’s personality and reputation in order to decide the case in their favor. The court will usually only allow a specific number of live witnesses to testify on a defendant’s character before the sentence, but will also accept nearly any number of character witness letters.īecause Bob is a close friend of yours, you could write a character witness letter to the court to testify that Bob has shown a persistent and determined attitude in productively and successfully overcoming his mistake (add examples and instances to support your assertions) and you could ask the court to consider the statements in your letter so that it can rule in your beloved friend’s favor. Let me explain how this letter works through the example belowįor example, your friend Bob Brown is facing DUI charges. What is a character witness letter for courtĪ character witness letter for court is a brief statement of facts written to the court by friends, family, colleagues, or anyone else who knows the defendant in the case, to establish credibility in the defendant’s character and to aid the judge to have a deeper understanding of the defendant outside of the facts of the case prior to judgment.
