ATTORNEYS

Mr. Larry Goddard earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada with ‘high distinction’ and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi. He later graduated and received his Juris Doctorate from Lewis and Clark Law School.

Mr. Goddard has served as an attorney in Micronesia for over 25 years, most notably as the Senior Legal Counsel and Policy Advisor to currentTommy E. Remengesau, Jr., the former President of the Republic of Palau and as his Special Legal Counsel when he was Vice-President.  Mr. Goddard was the primary advisor to President Remengesau on issues of sustainable development, finance and public law and administration.

As Senior Legal Counsel, Mr. Goddard was the primary architect of the Micronesia Chief Executives Summit (now the Micronesia Islands Forum), the Micronesia Presidents’ Summit and the Micronesia Center for a Sustainable Future (now the Micronesia Islands Forum Secretariat), all regional bodies focused on regional and national sustainable development issues.  He was also a primary architect of Palau’s environmental policy, including the Micronesia Challenge and the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, which placed Palau at the international forefront of environmental focus on sustainable development. As a result of these environmetal policies, the President was named as Time Magazine’s Hero of the Environment, UNEP’s Champions of the Earth Award and receives the Peter Benchley Award for Excellence in Natural Stewardship.

Prior to moving to Palau, Mr. Goddard served as the Legislative Counsel for the Pohnpei State Legislature in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), where he focused on issues of budget, finance and development.

A decade later, through a US Department of Interior consultancy, he served as the Senior Advisor to the FSM’s Office of Statistics, Budget & Management, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management.  In this capacity, he represented the FSM at numerous Annual Joint Economic Management Committee Meetings (JEMCO) with the United States and assisted in the development of the FSM’s Long Term Fiscal and Economic Framework.

Mr. Goddard negotiated Palau’s membership in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.  Under the President, he served as Palau’s Governor and Alternate Governor to the World Bank.

During his service to the FSM and Palau, Mr. Goddard has written and assisted in the writing of many laws, including:

• Palau’s comprehensive tax law;
• Palau’s comprehensive banking laws;
• Palau’s recycling law;
• A comprehensive amendment to the Palau’s Protected Area Network Law;
• Pohnpei’s Environmental Protection Act of 1991;
• Pohnpei’s Small Business Development Corporation Act;
• Pohnpei’s Fisheries Corporation Act of 1992; and
• Pohnpei’s Utilities Corporation Act (Privatization of Govt. Utilities).

Mr. Goddard is still retained by the Republic of Palau as a Senior Legal Advisor to provide legal advice to the Ministry of Finance and to support the Micronesia Islands Forum, the Micronesia Islands Forum Secretariat and the Micronesia Presidents’ Summit.