Prompt details

Tested on

Claude Opus 5.5

Length

549 words · 3 fill-ins

Example input

[About you and how you know them]: I'm Denise Albright, 52, pharmacy manager at a grocery store in Spokane, Washington. I've lived next door to the Ortega family for 11 years, so I've known Marco since he was 13. For the last 3 seasons Marco and I have coached an under-10 recreational soccer team in our community league together: I'm the head coach and he's my assistant.

[What you have seen]: - He shows up early to every practice to set up cones and nets, rain or not. - Last season one of our players, a shy 8-year-old, wouldn't join drills for the first three weeks. Marco spent ten minutes before each practice kicking a ball with her one-on-one until she joined in. By the end of the season she scored her first goal and her mom thanked him in front of the team. - When my husband had knee surgery two winters ago, Marco shoveled our driveway after every snowfall for about two months without being asked. - He works full time as an apprentice HVAC technician and takes night classes toward his certification. - After his arrest he came over and told me himself, before I heard it from anyone. He said he was ashamed and that he'd let the kids down. He offered to step back from coaching; the league let him stay as assistant, but he's not allowed to drive players. - He sold his car and takes the bus to work. - He told me he goes to a weekly alcohol education class. I haven't seen this myself, but he showed me his attendance card. - I'm not sure if I should mention this: his dad died last year and he told me privately that he was drinking more after that.

[The case as you know it]: Marco Ortega, 24. He has pleaded guilty to DUI, his first offense, in a district court in Washington State. Nobody was hurt; he was pulled over for weaving and was over the limit. The sentencing hearing is in about 3 weeks. His public defender asked him to collect letters from people who know him and wants them by email within 10 days. I don't know the judge's name.

Example output

1. The letter

[Date]

Denise Albright

[Street address]

Spokane, WA [ZIP]

[Phone] | [Email]

The Honorable [Judge's full name]

[Name of court, e.g., Spokane County District Court: confirm with lawyer]

[Court address]

Re: Marco Ortega, Case No. [case number]

Dear Judge [Last name]:

My name is Denise Albright. I am 52 and the pharmacy manager at [store name] in Spokane. I have lived next door to the Ortega family for 11 years and have known Marco since he was 13. For the past three seasons he has been my assistant coach for an under-10 recreational soccer team in our community league, where I am head coach. I know that Marco has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, and I am writing with that in mind.

Marco arrives early to every practice to set up cones and nets, rain or not. Last season one of our players, a shy eight-year-old, would not join drills for her first three weeks. Before each practice Marco spent about ten minutes kicking a ball with her one-on-one until she joined in. By the end of the season she scored her first goal, and her mother thanked him in front of the team.

Two winters ago, while my husband was recovering from knee surgery, Marco shoveled our driveway after every snowfall for about two months. We never asked him to.

He works full time as an apprentice HVAC technician and takes night classes toward his certification.

After his arrest, Marco came over and told me himself, before I heard it from anyone else. He told me he was ashamed and that he had let the kids down, and he offered to step back from coaching. The league let him stay on as assistant coach, on the condition that he does not drive players. He has sold his car and takes the bus to work [have you seen this yourself, or did he tell you? If he told you, change to "He has told me he sold his car…"]. He has also told me he attends a weekly alcohol education class. I have not attended it, but he showed me his attendance card.

[Optional: one sentence in your own words about the offence, only if true for you.]

Thank you for reading this letter. I can be reached at the phone number or email above.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

Denise Albright

Claude Opus 5.5

Character Reference Letter – Character reference letter prompt for ChatGPT and Claude

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Claude Opus 5.5

This prompt writes a character reference letter for someone going to court. Paste who you are, what you have seen and the case; you get the letter, a shorter version and what to check with their lawyer.

What you get

A one-page letter that says who you are, how you know them and that you know the charge
Two or three real moments from your notes instead of adjectives
A shorter version, and what to confirm with the lawyer before you send
Notes on anything in your draft to think twice about

How to use it

1
Write down what you have seen
List specific moments you saw yourself, and mark anything the person only told you. Real moments carry more weight than praise.
2
Answer the bracketed questions
Fill in names and addresses, answer every bracketed question honestly, and delete anything you cannot stand behind.
3
Send it through the lawyer
Ask the person's lawyer who to address it to, the format and the date, and send the signed letter to them, not to the judge.

Better results

Ask the lawyer what the letter should cover before you write; a letter for sentencing and one for bail can need different things.
Read the letter aloud. If a sentence does not sound like you, change it to your own words before you sign.
If you are unsure about including something personal, ask the person and their lawyer first.

Questions

Can I use ChatGPT to write a character reference letter for court?

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to shape your own notes into a clear letter, as long as every example is true and in your words. You sign it as true, so remove anything you did not see or cannot stand behind, and send it through the person's lawyer.

How do you address a character reference letter to a judge?

It depends on the country and court. In the US, letters often open with "The Honorable [Name]" and "Dear Judge [Name]"; other countries use other forms. Ask the person's lawyer for the judge's name and the form the court expects.

What should not be included in a character letter for court?

Leave out arguments about guilt, the evidence, the police or the victim, requests for a specific sentence unless the lawyer asks, exaggerated praise, and anything you did not see or cannot vouch for. A judge wants to know the person from someone who knows them, not a defence of the case.

How long should a character reference letter be?

Keep a character reference letter for court to one page, about 300 to 450 words. Judges read many letters, so two or three specific examples work better than a long one. The prompt also writes a version under 200 words for when the lawyer wants it brief.

Updated 8 Nov 2026