Born in Pasadena, Texas, Joe is a lifelong resident of Houston. Joe graduated from J. Frank Dobie High School in Houston and then attended Trinity University in San Antonio where he was a four-year letterman on the football team, twice earning all-conference honors and serving as a team captain his senior year. Joe earned a BS in International Business with minors in Political Science and History. After a brief stint in Skagway, Alaska, Joe attended South Texas College of Law in Houston and upon graduation accepted a position with Royston, Rayzor, Vickery & Williams L.L.P., one of the nation’s premier admiralty and maritime law firms. Joe became a partner in the firm, working in both the Houston and Galveston offices. He successfully litigated for his individual and corporate clients, both inside and outside of the courtroom in matters covering all aspects of admiralty and maritime law, as well as a wide variety of civil and commercial litigation matters, including insurance coverage disputes, personal injury claims, products liability claims, contract disputes and energy-related matters in both state and federal court.
Joe left Royston Rayzor to co-found Terry & Thweatt, P.C. with Lee Thweatt, where he focuses his national practice on representing individuals involved in maritime and offshore accidents, oil field incidents, products liability cases, 18-wheeler incidents, burn and brain injury matters as well as serious personal injury and wrongful death matters. Joe also represents businesses in complex legal disputes. Joe has extensive trial experience and has obtained a number of substantial verdicts and settlements for his clients, including numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts.
Joe is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Joe is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Galveston County Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (past Chairman), The Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor in Admiralty), Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly annually. Joe has also received an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest level of peer rating signifying that other lawyers have ranked him at the highest level of professional excellence for his legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards.
Joe serves on the Tournament Committee for The State of Texas Angler's Rodeo (STAR) Tournament, which is the annual membership recruitment drive for CCA Texas. Joe is also on the board of the Coastal Conservation Association’s Central Houston Chapter. Joe is actively involved with youth sports and coaching his son Ritter. They are members of All Saints Catholic Church in the Houston Heights and are active volunteers in the Houston Heights Association as well as SPJST Lodge 88. They are also members of Fraser’s Friends, an organization dedicated to providing financial support to the Congenital Heart Surgery team at Texas Children’s Hospital.
When not supporting Houston’s college and professional sports teams, Joe can be found anywhere along the Texas coast wadefishing in pursuit of redfish and speckled trout as well as South Texas in pursuit of whitetail deer.