CHRIS NYST

If these walls could talk.

Waiting inside the small, self-contained conference room in leading criminal lawyer Chris Nyst’s Southport office, you get a sense of what some of his high-profile clients must go through.

After all, he’s the ‘rock star’ solicitor, author and movie maker who has represented the likes of Brenden Abbott (The Postcard Bandit), Pauline Hanson and Bernard Tomic – just to name a few.

How did Chris Nyst find the time to do it all?

MICHAEL GATENBY

It is a return to home of sorts, across from the Southport courthouse.

The director of Gatenby Criminal Lawyers had the same office about 20 years ago as he began to make his name in the legal fraternity, particularly in representing high-level gang members.

Mr Gatenby points to a signed Wallabies jersey framed but not yet hung on the wall.

A present years ago from a former client, he claims. His signature is on the jersey.

But his client list isn’t just all sports stars.

JASON MURAKAMI

Colourful Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto is a “gentleman and a friend”.

Drug runner and former horse trainer John Nikolic is a “tragic case”.

As for Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo, infamous for becoming a police informant during the Melbourne gangland war in the 2000s, Gold Coast lawyer Jason Murakami says: “I have nothing to say about her”.

Murakami has represented a who’s who line-up of crooks, cops, politicians and business figures throughout his 25-plus years as a lawyer.

Read why, and about his clients here.

BILL POTTS

Bill Potts has one of the most recognisable faces in Queensland criminal law.

The Gold Coast solicitor, who recently celebrated his 40 years of practice, has slowly built the largest criminal firm in the state.

Along the way he has represented notorious crooks such as fraudster Christopher Skase, bikies and those down and out. He has even done a stint as Queensland Law Society president.

The Bulletin sat in his top-floor office – where a bookshelf covers an entire wall – to talk about his biggest client, the trials of a law career, juvenile crime and that picture with the T-shirt slogan.

How did he become so successful?

CHRIS HANNAY

Copper turned criminal lawyer Chris Hannay has “seen some heavy s**t”.

And although working both sides of the fence – throwing people in jail and keeping them out – has “hardened” him, his emotions are anything but bulletproof.

Read how the death of Kelly Wilkinson impacted him, and all about his colourful clients from ex-bikie Jacques Teamo to serial conman Peter Foster.

JODI ALLEN

Jodi Allen seldom cries.

Sometimes she will shed the odd one watching an emotional episode of Neighbours.

Or the time “hubby” took her 50 kilometres off the Queensland coast on his fishing boat, her seasick vomit becoming berley to bait encircling tiger sharks.

When a sliver of dry land came into sight, she burst into a geyser of tears.

Allen is not a strong swimmer, and hates the crunchy feeling of sand between her toes.

But the Gold Coast criminal lawyer does not bat an eyelid when sitting across a table from murderers, rapists, child molesters, drug traffickers, bikies and all manner of down, out and dirty crooks.

Read her story here

DAVE GARRATT

Ex-SAS soldiers accused of war crimes are being purposefully “embarrassed” by Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigating, their lawyer claims, including detentions during school runs.

Howden Saggers Lawyer managing director Dave Garratt said he was “annoyed” at their tactics which included detaining one soldier dropping his child off at school.

The claims were made during a wide-ranging interview with Mr Garratt, a former soldier selected to serve in a specialist reconnaissance/sniper platoon within the infantry doing tours of Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his legal career he continues to fight for his former colleagues, representing a number of ex defence force personnel.

Mr Garratt spoke at length with the Bulletin about what he believes is unfair treatment the ex-SAS soldiers are receiving from the Australian Federal Police, why he is not a big fan of bikie cases and how he became the lawyer on-call for the Brisbane Broncos.

Stay tuned for more lawyers in this series...