How to Address the Clerk of Courts by Letter

Megan Selin reports:

"You may find it necessary to contact the clerk of courts for any number of reasons, whether it be to request information, submit a document for filing or request a pardon from jury duty. When you send a letter to the court clerk, you will want to use a formal letter format and a professional style of writing. Obtain the correct address and clerk contact information. Counties have many different courts, including civil court, family court and superior court. Confirm which court you need to contact and obtain the address and the clerk's name if it is available. This information can be found by doing a search on the [I]nternet or placing a phone call directly to the court. Use a block style format when writing your letter. This is the most widely used business style letter. In a block style letter, all of the text is aligned at the left-hand margin. Begin your letter by typing your return address at the top of the page, followed by today's date and the clerk's name, title and court address. Separate each paragraph by a single blank line. Use a formal closing...followed by your signature and full typed name. Use the correct salutation when writing your letter. If you were able to obtain the clerk's full name, it is appropriate to address him or her as Mr. Joe Brown, Clerk of Courts. If you were unable to obtain a full name, it is acceptable to use a formal title when addressing your letter, such as Clerk of Courts or Court Clerk. You can also substitute 'Dear Sir or Madam' if you are unsure of the full name. Type the body of your letter. Keep it short and to the point. Explain the reason you are writing in the first paragraph. Provide any additional information the clerk will need to know within the second paragraph. Use a formal, respectful tone in your writing. When you are finished, use spell check and remove any spelling errors. Sign your full name in blue or black ink prior to mailing the letter. Your signature should be placed between your closing (Sincerely) and your typed name. Confirm that you have included your contact information so that the clerk will be able to respond to your letter."