In divorce cases, one of the biggest issues is related to which parent will receive custody of the children. Both parents must support their custody claim by gathering evidence. One factor that’s crucial to this is the character reference letter.
Who Writes The Character Reference Letter?
In most cases, a character reference letter will be written by a close relative or friend who understands the personal nuances of the parent in question. However, neighbors or coworkers may also be used. It’s best to ask as many people as possible that are close to the parent as an attorney can decide if they want to use all of the letters or just specific ones.
Writing A Character Reference Letter
If you are writing a character reference letter, you can begin by using examples of interaction between the child and the parent. It’s not necessary for you to describe specific examples. However, it will help if you do describe the relationship that is present between child and parent.
For example, you may want to indicate that the relationship between the parent and child is stable, loving and warm. If you do a little brainstorming in advance of writing the character reference letter, it will make it easier.
Tone Use In A Character Reference Letter
The tone of your character reference letter should be conversational and friendly. Even though this is being used in a legal matter, you shouldn’t feel the requirement of having to use specific legal terms. In addition, it shouldn’t be a long letter. If you keep it to one page, that should suffice.
How To Write A Character Reference Letter For Child Custody
You should begin the letter by introducing who you are. State the type of relationship you have with the parent and go on to the second paragraph.
In the second and third paragraph, you will want to describe the items that you came up with while brainstorming. It isn’t necessary for you to include specific events when the parent showed their devotion to the child. Instead, list the daily items that the parent helped their child with.
These might be things such as taking the child to music lessons, providing meals that are nutritious and maintaining a relationship that includes love and affection.
The character reference letter can be finalized by writing a short summation that describes the relationship between parent and child. It should state reasons why you believe that the parent should maintain custody of his or her child.
You should end the letter by leaving contact information so you can be reached with any questions.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!