Lester Said:

Character reference if you're NOT [PLEADING] GUILTY?

We Answered:

When you appear in court and plead not guilty, you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. If you are convicted, then your lawyer will have the task of saying nice things on your behalf (a plea in mitigation) in order to persuade the judge to be lenient towards you. It is then that your character reference would come in handy.

Joann Said:

How to write a character letter for a child custody hearing?

We Answered:

Letters are generally not admissible. A declaration that is signed under penalty of perjury would be the only document that would really be helpful.

I would highly advise you not to give any opinions. You should not comment on his parenting skills and you absolutely should not provide an opinion on who should have custody. Frankly, the judge doesn't care about your (or anyone else's) opinions. The judge only wants the objective facts. So I would encourage you to just report the facts. You can briefly describe:

1. Who you are, how old you are;
2. What you do and how much you earn;
3. How long you have tutored the children;
4. A brief description of how and when you tutor the children;
5. A brief description of who hired you to tutor the children;
6. A description of who pays you to tutor the children;
7. A description of how and when (and with whom) you discuss academic progress, etc.

Again, including your opinion is not appropriate. Just recite the facts. The end of your declaration should include a statement that it is signed under penalty of perjury under the laws of your state. You should sign and date it, and the statement should include your mailing address and telephone number.

Felix Said:

How do i write an effective character reference for a judge that comes from a friend as well as an ex gf?

We Answered:

I would go with fear and adrenaline because when your are defending yourself the only thing coursing through your mind is self preservation, nothing else matters, when some one is in this mind set rash actions don't seem so rash. i don't know if i was as serious as life or death, but if you aren't in those situations ofter (the average person isn't) then it can feel like life or death, so u will do what ever it take to survive.

Georgia Said:

Would it be a good Idea to write a Character reference letter for my husband to use in court?

We Answered:

So why wouldn't you?

Vanessa Said:

I need a sample letter, a negative character reference to use in court. Help?

We Answered:

There's no true guide on this, just be brief, factual, and to the point, you'll be lucky if the judge even glances at it, honestly.

for example-

Don't throw a lot of hearsay or slurs toward him ("this bastard used to beat her, she told me all the time") means you didn't actually see it, and are just repeating what she said, so your letter would be tossed aside without a second glance.

"On several occasions I witnessed XXX physically abusing XXX" is a statement of fact, to the point, and might actually get read.