Office of the House Legal Counsel for the Republic of Palau

The House of Delegates is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Palau National Congress and is comprised of sixteen Delegates, one from each state of Palau. The Office of Legal Counsel is a small office that is the drafting, legal, and research office for the House, and is expected to provide services in a confidential and nonpartisan manner to all sixteen Delegates. Palau is a small tropical island nation, which is a former Trust Territory of the United States and has a common law form of government based on that of the United States. However, the governance of Palau also integrates Palauan traditional and customary law into the legal system, along with statutes and treaties that apply the legal principles of the United States and international customary law. Palauan and English are the official languages.