Verdict Expresso a haven for prosecutors, criminals, police and lawyers

A cluster of red umbrellas is a beacon in the legal precinct in Southport. The area is usually teaming with criminals, police and lawyers but one small area has become an oasis.

A CLUSTER of red umbrellas is a beacon in the legal precinct in Southport.

The area is usually dripped in conflict as criminals, police, prosecutors and lawyer battle each other both in and out of the courtroom.

But one small oasis on the corner of Hinze and Scarborough streets allows all that to be put behind.

Tiny cafe Verdict Expresso is neutral ground – or Switzerland – with everyone from magistrates and judges to criminals, their lawyers and prosecutors known to frequent the establishment.

Convicted conman Peter Foster has often been spotted, even on days he is not in court, with his lawyer Chris Hannay catching up.

Verdict Expresso in Southport is a neutral place where defendants, lawyers, prosecutors, magistrates and police all grab coffee – it's like "Switzerland". Picture: Jerad Williams

Bikies will line up for coffee beside fully uniformed police officers.

Magistrates will shed robes to grab a quick break at the eatery – often metres away from someone they have just cast judgment on.

The COVID-19 has changed how the cafe operates.

Umbrellas still stand outside the cafe but chairs and tables are packed up with the eatery now offering only takeaway and delivery.

The cafe is much quieter than it was just weeks ago with court attendances down, the nearby

TAFE moving to no students and many businesses working from home.

Verdict Expresso owner Chris Shin. Picture: Jerad Williams

Owner Chris Shin is doing what he can to keep his five staff on board.

Black duct tape marks the floor to show how far to stand while waiting in line.

After coffee orders are in, lawyers, criminals and prosecutors all social distance outside while they wait for their drink.

But Mr Shin remains cheery behind the coffee machine, greeting regulars with a smile and saying their name and coffee order.

“We think of it as three, three, three,” he says.

“Forty per cent are someone who is in trouble, another 30 per cent try to help them and another 30 per cent try to get them.

“A different table, a different view.”

Convicted conman Peter Foster has often been spotted, even on days he is not in court, with his lawyer Chris Hannay catching up. Picture: Jerad Williams

The nine years at the helm of the restaurant has meant Mr Shin is quickly able to assess the mood of customers.

“If someone has a serious face they are in trouble,” he says.

“Sometimes when the judge comes, everyone stands ups.”

The unique location of the cafe – across the road from both the courthouse and the police station – means Mr Shin gets a unique snapshot of the justice system. A hot topic at present is juvenile crime.

“Clearly, I see it again and again – the same guys. The same boys. They are only 12, 13, 14 years old. That is also sad.

“All the parents worry, but when they are gathering outside the young kids they don’t really worry.

“We have to do something for all of those kids.”

Mr Shin says he sees lawyers and prosecutors all trying to do their bit for the young offenders.

“Who is going to do the right education for them? The system, we have to improve it again and again.”

Umbrellas still stand outside the cafe but chairs and tables are packed up with the eatery now offering only takeaway and delivery. Picture: Jerad Williams

The South Korean-born barista says he tries to treat the young juvenile offenders as his little brother.

“They are actually nice guys who have just been treated wrong.”

It is that same attitude he uses to treat the adult offenders, meaning for some big tips but also some sad stories.

“Some customers say, ‘oh, it’s going to be my last supper, can I have some big brekkie. I don’t know how long until I can I have a big brekkie like this’.”

The cafe is Mr Shin’s first association with the law – an accident born from the eatery’s handy location to both the court and police station.

Mr Shin moved to Australia in 1996 to see the world and escape to a land with no guns.

By 2000 he had moved to the Gold Coast with a multimedia degree and wanted more for himself than being a manager at an electronics store.

A busy cafe – close to a cache of public servants and a place for good foot traffic – seemed the logical next challenge.

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For Verdict, the busy times also often mean something devastating has happened in the community.

“The worst moment and most busiest we had was Dreamworld,” he says.

During the six weeks the inquest was held at the Southport court, Verdict became a surrogate second home for many involved in the proceedings.

Families of the victims would often sit at tables next to media and some of dozens of lawyers involved.

“That was the worst experience for all the community but it was also the busiest for us.”

It is not uncommon to see lawyers using the cafe as a surrogate meeting place between matters or during a court lunch break.

Hannay Lawyers is known to regularly reserve a table for their office meetings.

Solicitors also bring in new graduates as a place to network.

Mr Shin says it is heartwarming to see young lawyers get introduced to him in the infancy of their career and, as the months and years go by, slowly become more confident and sure of what they are doing.

Verdict Expresso owner Chris Shin says it is heartwarming to see young lawyers and watch them grow. Picture: Jerad Williams

Hannay Lawyers director Chris Hannay says the cafe is “absolutely the Switzerland” of the Gold Coast legal precinct.

“Sometimes we have shots at each other and you have to have a thick skin but sometimes we resolve and discuss things,” he says.

Howden Saggers Lawyers partner Dave Garratt says part of the appeal is the cafe’s service.

“They are very conscious to the busy life of a lawyer,” he says.

“They don’t play favouritism between us and the police or whoever walks in the door.”

A part of fitting in with that life is the cafe’s willingness to deliver to nearby law offices who ask nicely enough.

It is not unusual to spot a full meal making it’s way from the cafe to a legal office and then shortly after a lawyer walking back with the used crockery.

But for many the cafe is a good place for some down time in a busy court day.

“Any shop talk has to be done in whispers, or better yet, avoid it completely because you never know who is at the table behind you,” Allen & Searing Criminal Lawyers partner Jodi Allen says.

And it is that little oasis which keeps the legal fraternity coming back.