What you want to avoid in applying for a work permit is competition of any kind with any Belize national. If you are opening a business that no one else is doing, and better yet employing some locals, you will have a much easier time.
Some lawyers can be helpful, some just typical gringo pocket-pickers. Go it alone at least at first, be careful to show respect, a touchy issue with Belizeans. If you fit the criteria above, you may just prevail.