The character reference letter for court serves the purpose of offering the Judge insights into the Defendant's moral or mental attributes. Sample Format for a Character Letter.If you have been asked to write a character letter, this simple template may be a useful guide. Character references for an individual that will be before a Judge can take the form of a letter to the Judge (Dear Hon. The structure of the letter; What to include in the letter and what to omit; A sample character reference letter; Specific tips for writing it. If you've been asked to write to the judge, use our sample character reference letter and fill-in-the-blank template. What's a character reference letter? The following is a basic draft to a lieniency letter. You would need to provide the specific's of your counsin's case to make it a personal letter. Basically anything they would like to say about you, preferably positive.