Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP

"Central Bank of Belize"

International Services
Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP is the leader in the provision of the most comprehensive legal services associated with the International Financial Services Industry. Its highly acclaimed legal team and support staff provide a “One Stop Service” to International Clients wishing to establish international business together with all other services falling under the umbrella of the International Financial Services industry.

The legal team's expertise in this jurisdiction has been further acclaimed by the firm's international clients in the three areas of Tax Minimization, Asset Protection, and Preservation of Confidentiality.

Insurance
The firm offers legal expertise to insurers and the insured alike, both at home and abroad. The firm practice covers primarily Title Insurance, International Variable Life Insurance and Annuities. With its expertise in asset protection, the firm utilizes the latter products for sophisticated asset protection and tax minimization planning as well.

Admiralty & Shipping
Belize offers an extremely efficient and cost-effective Registry, The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE), with an excellent reputation for integrity and reliability.

Complementing this quality service, the firm offers efficient legal services in the drafting, preparation and registration of all documents necessary for ship registration and for matters connected therewith.

The firm also provides offshore, fiduciary, registered office/agent and shipping agent services as well as practical advice to shipping companies in all matters of shipping/admiralty law including, but not limited to, Ship Registration, Ship Financing, Ship Mortagage Registration and Shipowner's Liability.

Banking & Finance
Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP has a very strong and disciplined team of Attorneys highly skilled in the areas of Banking and Finance. Belize is one of the new banking centers of the Caribbean with five operating international banks. This has allowed us to grow with the sector. Our international presence and reputation has contributed to our continuous expansion and success in this very dynamic field.

Our services cover the entire spectrum of needs any client may encounter in its process of establishing and developing a banking operation in Belize. They range from the application for banking licenses drafting loan and security documentation associated with complex financing transactions, providing legal advice for operational activities to debt collection and other contentious matters.

Tax & Estate Planning
At Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP, we understand the importance of fiscal and tax matters to our clients. This awareness has caused our attorneys to achieve a high level of expertise in all aspects of our tax legislation. Our firm has vast experience in the problems and opportunities our clients can expect to encounter when doing business in Belize.

Our services range from structuring a framework to minimize a client's tax exposure, to representing clients in administrative proceedings before the tax authorities of Belize. In addition, we have a team of specialized professionals who provide support to our clients, including certified public accountants and auditors.

"San Pedro"

Immigration
Our law firm provides legal assistance on immigration matters, including processing of resident visa and work permits for foreign individuals wishing to work in Belize. The same service is provided to executives and technical employees of companies that require foreign personnel due to the nature of their commercial activities.

Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP also offers legal counsel for filing the administrative documents that are necessary, according to Belize Law, to obtain letters of naturalization - a first step in becoming a Belizean citizen.

In general we represent our clients in all types of procedures related to transactions and applications required to obtain residence status and work permits before the department of immigration and naturalization. We also provide legal counsel and advice on obtaining Qualified Retired Person (QRP) status under the Qualified Retired Person Incentives Program administered by the Belize Tourist Board.

Real Estate
The firm provides comprehensive legal services in all matters concerning real estate law. Our team of attorneys and support staff have amassed decades of experience and expertise in real estate transactions including, but not limited to, Leasing, Mortgaging, Purchasing, and Selling of Property. This encompasses land for residential, commercial or industrial purposes. The firm also provides legal counsel and advice on obtaining subdivision approval, strata (condominium) titles and all other matters relating to land development and housing schemes.

"Administration Building of Government"

Business Development & Investment
Our attorneys provide legal support to corporations which, as a result of their desire to establish new commercial operations in Belize, need to negotiate contracts with governments for public bids, obtain permits to operate in the commercial free zone and export processing zones, acquire commercial and industrial licenses, secure radio and telecommunications licenses, or to conduct any other administrative transaction before the Belizean Government.

Special emphasis must be placed on the vast experience our firm has acquired in assisting export - processing industries to become firmly established in Belize. The firm assists in obtaining all the required operation permits and licenses, as well as by having clients work in close cooperation with our Labour Department to draft specialized employment contracts and other related documents necessary for a successful operation.

"Supreme Court of Belize"

Corporate & Commercial Law
The firm offers advice on a wide range of issues affecting corporate and industrial clients, many of which are foreign corporations and transnationals doing business in Belize. Our work includes preincorporation matters, company formation, corporate finance, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, as well as complex matters that may arise during the life of a corporation, such as shareholders' actions, enforcement of shareholders' agreements, etc. The close relationship which we usually develop and maintain with our clients also enables us to effectively advise them on legal issues that may affect overall company strategy and the conduct of business activities.

Besides our traditional corporate work, our offshore practice has sustained tremendous growth in the last decade. Our main services in this area are comprised of company formation and management, opening and managing bank accounts, commercial representation of companies and trustee services.

Intellectual Property
Belize has recently enacted excellent laws for the protection of intellectual property including copyright trademarks, patents, layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits, industrial designs and new plant varieties. Belize is also a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization and is a signatory to numerous international intellectual property conventions.

The law firm of Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP offers complete and thorough counsel and assistance in the registration (if available) and protection of all types of intellectual properties in Belize. In addition, the firm provides representation associated with the protection of intellectual property rights in administrative or judicial proceedings.

Individual corporations in High-Tax jurisdictions may realize significant tax advantages by selling their Ownership of Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks, Licenses of Franchises to an offshore company usually in a single-payment purchase.

Asset Protection Planning & Trusts
The team of attorneys at Glenn D. Godfrey & Company LLP has extensive expertise in drafting and administering trust settlements. Over the years they have drafted and administered settlements that have fulfilled the confidentiality, asset protection and tax planning needs of clients in every major developed country in the world

Because of the many advantages and innovative possibilities which the Belize Trust Act offers, most clients choose to establish trusts that are domiciled in Belize and governed by the Laws of Belize. Such trusts may take the form of asset protection trusts, charitable and non-charitable purpose trusts, spendthrift trusts, life insurance trusts, or otherwise. Where, for whatever reason, Belize is not an appropriate jurisdication, our attorneys can, through its worldwide network, arrange to have the trust drafted, established and/or administered in any major offshore jurisdiction.

"Museum of Belize"

Offshore Legislation
Most of Belize's major offshore legislation is available on our network free of cost to other professionals who request them.