Joel Marc Androphy

Joel Marc Androphy passed away peacefully in Houston on Sunday, September 24, 2023. He was born April 30, 1953, in Waterbury, CT to Asnah & Leonard Androphy. He attended Kingsbury Elementary, Wilby High, Clark University and, in 1975, moved to Houston to attend South Texas College of Law. On November 30, 1980, Joel married the love of his life Sheryl Ann Liebling, and they had 2 beautiful children, Daniel Michael Androphy and Robyn Androphy Campbell. Upon law school graduation, Joel became a law clerk for Judge Norman W. Black, the late Chief Judge for the Southern District of Texas. Joel always said, “I learned to write briefs from Judge Black!” This experience set the stage for his outstanding career as a fine lawyer, pro bono champion, Bar leader, and legal writer and speaker. Joel joined David Berg in 1983 to begin the partnership of Berg & Androphy. Forty years later, they were BEST friends and partners in this outstanding firm! Berg & Androphy was twice named by U.S. News & World a Tier 1 “Best Law Firm." The firm was named top tier by US News every year for years. Joel was widely respected for his hard-charging advocacy and unyielding integrity. He was fearless in taking a case to trial but also willing to settle a civil case or negotiate a deal if it was in his client’s best interest. Licensed to practice in four states, Joel tried to a jury verdict dozens of white collar criminal cases and civil matters. In 2022, he received two unprecedented awards for lifetime achievement in combatting fraud against the U.S. from both the Department of Justice and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Earlier, the Houston Press named him “Best Civil Attorney,” and he was selected as one of the Top 75 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers in the country. Joel’s sense of justice lead him to represent underserved clients for free. In collaboration with Rev. Harvey Clemons, he developed in his firm a pro bono program to represent young offenders in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Their goal was to eliminate racially motivated convictions to give children of color a second chance to make a successful life. Similarly, Joel helped spearhead the Juvenile Second Chance program through which school police and the DA’s Office refer school-based offenders to community programs instead of juvenile detention. For his pro bono dedication, Joel was awarded the Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Award and the Houston Bar President’s Award. A leader in the Bar, Joel was elected to both the board of the Houston Bar Association and the board of the State Bar of Texas. He was appointed to the prestigious Commission for Lawyer Discipline and was chair of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. Joel also was the editor of both The Houston Lawyer and the Texas Bar Journal. His leading these Bar publications was only one indication of Joel’s commitment to legal education. He authored two seminal treatises: the six-volume White Collar Crime: Civil & Criminal Practical Treatise and the Federal False Claims Act & Qui Tam Litigation. He wrote more than 70 legal articles and gave more than 125 presentations. He was the long-time legal analyst on ABC 13 News and taught as an adjunct professor at South Texas and University of Houston Law Center. Joel had many interests and passions outside the law. Aside from his family, golf was his greatest. He started playing with his dad as a young adult and carried on the tradition with his children. The BEST thing was that Joel was able to teach the game to all four of his grandsons. His greatest joy was to take each of them to the course to practice. He also loved to kayak with the kids in La Jolla and Cabo. An exercise fanatic, Joel swam 2-3 miles five days a week. He loved travelling with Sheryl and their family. He had an eye for art and enjoyed finding new artists to create paintings and sculptures for their home. Nothing was more important to Joel than being with his family. He always attended his children’s sporting events, recitals, gymnastics, and golf tournaments. He even took Tae Kwon Do with his children and became a Black Belt! Once his grandchildren were born, Joel couldn’t wait to play, take walks, read to them, and go on family vacations. Joel was preceded in death by his parents and brother Gary. He is survived by his wife Sheryl, children Daniel (Angela) and Robyn (Chris); grandchildren Jayden and Cooper Androphy and Landon and Beau Campbell; brother Jay (Robin), sister-in-law Karen, niece Dawn, nephew David and many loving family members and friends. The family would like to express our love and deep appreciation to amazing caregivers Dee, Kisha, Marilyn, Sedrick, and Vivian, who made sure Joel lived each day to his fullest. We also thank the compassionate doctors, nurses, PCA’s, physical therapists and Houston Hospice for taking care of Joel this past year while he courageously battled ALS and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. The funeral was held Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 North Braeswood, Houston, Texas 77096 followed by burial at Congregation Beth Israel Memorial Garden, 1101 Antoine, Houston, TX 77055. Donations in Joel’s memory may be made to his favorite charity, ALS Association, alstexas.org. Pallbearers: Daniel Androphy, Chris Campbell, Larry Liebling, Jay Androphy, Elliot Androphy, Larry Finder, Hal Francis, David Berg, Jay Berlin, Kevin Kirk, Steve Weil, and Roger Greenberg.

Joel Marc Androphy

April 30, 1953 - September 24, 2023