If you are going to court and have been asked to provide references or you have been asked to provide a reference for a person who is attending court, there are a number of matters to keep in mind.

They are;

1. Character references or testimonials that speak about your good character are often of great help to you in court;

2. It is important to ask people who are upstanding members of the community to provide you with a reference.  The referee does not have to be a person who holds a powerful position in the community they simply need to be a person who is of good character and who knows you;

3. People who provide references for you may be employers, work mates, family friends, neighbours, members of various social or sporting clubs that you may belong to or, if appropriate, your religious or spiritual leader;

4. Each reference should include the following information;

a. It should be addressed to the Presiding Magistrate (if the matter is in the Local Court) or the Presiding Judge (if the matter is in a District or higher Court);

b. The reference should introduce the person providing the reference, set out the length of time that the referee has known you and the circumstances under which the referee came to know you;

c. It is vitally important that the referee indicate that they are aware of the charge against you;

d. The referee should express their opinion of your character, for example, were they surprised that you were charged or do they consider the offence to be out of character?

e. The referee might be able to comment on the effect that the incident has had upon you;

5. If possible the reference should be typed or neatly handwritten.  The reference should be signed and dated;

6.  It is preferable to prepare three or four references to tender;

7.  Please do not provide referees with a copy of a reference prepared by another person as it is likely they will copy the document which will then be useless; and

8. You should provide a copy of your reference to your solicitor well prior to the court date so that your solicitor can review the document and discuss any problems with you.

Click Preparing a Character Reference for a template to assist you in preparing references.