Meet Andrew Decker: From Pastor to Texas Criminal Defense Attorney | Texas Criminal Defense Podcast Ep. 2
Meet Andrew Decker: From Pastor to Criminal Defense Attorney
Every criminal defense lawyer arrives at the courtroom by a different path.
Some knew they wanted to be lawyers since childhood.
Others discovered the profession through family members or internships.
Some spent years as prosecutors before transitioning to defense work.
Andrew Decker's path was unlike any of those.
Before ever stepping into a courtroom, before arguing motions, before conducting voir dire, and before standing beside clients accused of serious crimes, Andrew spent 15 years serving as a United Methodist minister.
In Episode 2 of Andrew and Andrew on Texas Criminal Defense, the roles reverse as Andrew Herreth interviews his co-host about the experiences that shaped his legal career. The result is a fascinating conversation about faith, public service, advocacy, and why criminal defense became the natural next chapter in his professional life.
Like Episode 1, this conversation isn't primarily about criminal statutes or appellate opinions.
Instead, it's about understanding the person behind the microphone—and the life experiences that continue to influence the way he represents clients today.
Growing Up All Across Texas
Unlike many Texans who proudly identify with one hometown, Andrew Decker has a much more complicated answer when someone asks where he's from.
His father was a United Methodist minister.
Later, his mother entered the ministry as well.
That meant moving frequently between small Texas communities throughout his childhood.
Although he ultimately graduated from high school in Arlington, he describes much of West Texas as home because of the years his family spent serving churches throughout the region.
Eventually, he attended Southwestern University in Georgetown before continuing his education at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology, where he earned a degree in divinity.
Those early experiences exposed him to communities across Texas—urban and rural, wealthy and struggling, large congregations and tiny churches.
Without realizing it at the time, those experiences would later prove invaluable inside Texas courtrooms.
Fifteen Years in Ministry
Following seminary, Andrew spent approximately fifteen years serving as a United Methodist minister.
For many people, that might seem worlds apart from criminal defense.
In reality, the skills overlap more than one might expect.
Pastors spend much of their careers listening.
They counsel families during life's most difficult moments.
They comfort people experiencing grief, addiction, broken relationships, financial crises, and tragedy.
They stand beside individuals during moments of fear and uncertainty.
Criminal defense attorneys often find themselves doing many of those same things.
While the legal issues differ, both professions require compassion, patience, communication, and the ability to earn trust quickly.
Eventually, Andrew recognized that both he and his family needed a different direction professionally.
He took a leave of absence from ministry.
That temporary break ultimately became permanent.
Starting Over at Forty
Changing careers is never easy.
Changing careers at nearly forty years old can feel even more intimidating.
After stepping away from ministry, Andrew began exploring what might come next.
He completed career assessment exercises, spoke with friends who practiced law, and even consulted a judge he had known since high school.
Their responses surprised him.
Rather than discouraging the idea, nearly everyone encouraged him to pursue law school.
So he did.
That decision placed him in classrooms alongside students nearly half his age.
One story from the interview perfectly captures that experience.
Andrew recalls sitting next to a classmate who had graduated from high school early, completed college in only three years, and entered law school before she was even old enough to legally purchase alcohol.
Meanwhile, Andrew was approaching forty.
The age difference might have felt awkward, but it also brought something many younger students lacked:
Life experience.
Law School During a Historic Transition
Andrew entered Texas Wesleyan University School of Law at an unusual moment in history.
While he was a student, Texas A&M University purchased the law school.
As a result, he began law school at Texas Wesleyan but graduated from Texas A&M University School of Law without ever changing classrooms.
It's a unique distinction shared by only a limited group of graduates.
Andrew jokes that although the law school remained in Fort Worth, connecting to the building's Wi-Fi still reports the weather in Bryan–College Station—a humorous reminder that the campus officially became part of Texas A&M.
The story also reveals something about Andrew's personality.
Throughout the interview, humor appears naturally.
Whether discussing career changes, law school, or trial work, he consistently finds ways to keep difficult topics approachable.
That same style later becomes one of his strengths before juries.
Discovering Criminal Law
Unlike Andrew Herreth, who knew relatively early that criminal law interested him, Andrew Decker entered law school without any clear idea what type of lawyer he wanted to become.
Everything changed after his first semester.
Watching classmates secure internships forced him to begin exploring opportunities of his own.
One connection led to another.
Eventually he interviewed for an internship with the Judicial Staff Counsel for the Criminal District Courts of Tarrant County, working alongside judges reviewing post-conviction habeas corpus applications under Article 11.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.
During the interview, one judge expressed surprise.
A former minister wanted to work in criminal law?
Andrew's response demonstrated why he belonged there.
Long before law school, ministry had already exposed him to many of society's hardest realities.
He had comforted families following suicides.
He had worked with victims of child abuse.
He had ministered to incarcerated individuals.
He had walked beside families experiencing addiction, violence, and tragedy.
Far from being unfamiliar territory, criminal law simply placed those same human experiences into a different professional setting.
Learning Criminal Law From the Inside
That internship eventually expanded into additional work with both the courts and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.
Andrew also completed the prosecution clinic while still in law school.
These experiences allowed him to observe criminal litigation from multiple perspectives before ever receiving his law license.
Perhaps most impressively, he found himself arguing a suppression hearing against two of the most respected criminal defense attorneys in Texas while still operating under a temporary student bar card.
For many law students, appearing in court at all would be intimidating.
Doing so opposite legendary attorneys could easily become overwhelming.
Instead, Andrew views the experience as one of the defining moments of his legal education.
Although he jokes that he "came in second," the lesson had little to do with winning or losing.
It demonstrated that courtroom experience is invaluable.
Young lawyers improve by doing.
Not by waiting.
Why Experience Matters More Than Results
One of the recurring themes throughout this interview is the importance of experience.
Andrew and Andrew both acknowledge something every trial lawyer eventually learns:
Sometimes the facts simply are what they are.
A defense attorney cannot rewrite history.
If evidence establishes certain facts, pretending otherwise rarely helps the client.
Instead, effective advocacy often involves examining:
how evidence was obtained;
whether constitutional rights were violated;
whether reasonable doubt exists;
whether prosecutors can actually prove every required element.
Winning every case is impossible.
Learning from every case is essential.
This perspective reflects maturity.
Rather than measuring success solely by verdicts, both attorneys recognize that effective representation also means preparation, professionalism, and fighting for every available legal advantage.
Inside an Article 11.07 Habeas Proceeding
One particularly memorable story involves Andrew's work reviewing a capital murder habeas application.
For readers unfamiliar with Texas criminal procedure, an Article 11.07 application generally represents one of a convicted defendant's final opportunities to challenge a felony conviction after direct appeals have concluded.
Andrew spent an entire summer researching one capital murder case.
After reviewing extensive briefing from both defense counsel and prosecutors, he met with the trial judge to discuss his findings.
The conversation took place over homemade banana pudding.
It sounds almost surreal.
Yet it perfectly illustrates the gravity of criminal law.
One moment they were sharing dessert.
The next they were discussing whether anything legally justified overturning a conviction in a case involving the death penalty.
Andrew recalls telling the judge that despite spending months searching for a legal basis to grant relief, he simply could not find one.
The judge quietly responded that he hated hearing that—but understood that the law required honesty rather than hope.
The story reminds listeners that criminal law involves real lives.
Behind every appellate brief sits a person.
Behind every habeas application sits a family.
Sometimes the legal answer and the emotional answer are not the same.
Ministry Prepared Him for Criminal Defense
Throughout the interview, Andrew repeatedly returns to one central idea:
People matter.
Whether serving as a pastor or representing someone charged with a crime, the work begins by recognizing the humanity of the person sitting across the table.
Clients rarely arrive on the best day of their lives.
Many arrive frightened.
Some are embarrassed.
Others are angry, confused, or overwhelmed.
The ability to connect with people—without immediately judging them—may be one of the most valuable skills any criminal defense attorney can develop.
Andrew believes many of those communication skills were developed long before law school, during years spent counseling families and speaking before congregations across Texas.
Those experiences continue to influence the way he practices law today.
Finding His Place in Criminal Defense
Although Andrew interned with both the courts and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office during law school, his first job after becoming licensed did not immediately take him into prosecution.
Like many new lawyers, timing played a role.
He expected to begin his career in a district attorney's office after graduation, but hiring timelines did not line up with when he received his law license.
Instead, an unexpected opportunity presented itself.
A clerkship with one of the most respected criminal defense firms in Texas.
That opportunity changed the course of his career.
The position was with Evans, Daniel, one of the premier criminal defense firms in the state.
The connection came from an experience many young lawyers might have dreaded: standing across the courtroom from one of Texas' most accomplished defense attorneys while still a law student.
Learning From the Best
Andrew recalls that one of his earliest courtroom experiences involved arguing a suppression hearing against renowned criminal defense attorney Mark Daniel, alongside former Parker County District Attorney Max Smith.
For a law student appearing under a temporary bar card, it could have been overwhelming.
Instead, it became one of the defining moments of his legal education.
Years later, that same courtroom opponent became a colleague.
It's a reminder that the legal profession is surprisingly small.
The attorney you're arguing against today may become your mentor tomorrow.
The prosecutor you're cross-examining this week may become a judge next year.
Professionalism matters.
Preparation matters.
Reputation matters.
Andrew emphasizes that he "came in second" that day, but he doesn't view the experience as a loss.
Instead, it gave him confidence.
If he could stand in court opposite lawyers of that caliber, he could stand before any courtroom in Texas.
That mindset would continue to shape his career.
Criminal Defense Is About People
One of the strongest themes throughout this interview is that criminal defense is not simply about statutes or courtroom procedure.
It's about people.
Andrew explains that his years in ministry exposed him to many of the same situations criminal defense lawyers encounter every day.
He had counseled families after suicides.
He had worked with victims of abuse.
He had ministered to incarcerated individuals.
He had comforted grieving parents.
Those experiences taught him something that can't easily be learned from a textbook:
Every case file represents a human being.
Every police report tells only part of the story.
Every client arrives carrying fears, relationships, struggles, and hopes that often never appear in discovery.
Those experiences naturally translated into criminal defense practice because they required the same qualities:
empathy,
patience,
listening,
communication,
and trust.
As Andrew explains, criminal defense begins by recognizing the humanity of the client sitting across the table.
The Reality of Criminal Defense
During the interview, Andrew offers a refreshingly honest perspective about trial work.
Contrary to television dramas, defense attorneys cannot simply invent reasonable doubt.
Sometimes the facts are unfavorable.
Sometimes a client was speeding.
Sometimes alcohol was involved.
Sometimes the evidence is overwhelming.
In those cases, a lawyer's responsibility becomes identifying legitimate legal issues:
Was the traffic stop lawful?
Was evidence obtained constitutionally?
Were the client's rights respected?
Can the State actually prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt?
Andrew emphasizes that effective advocacy is about working with the facts—not pretending they don't exist.
That realism is one reason experienced criminal defense lawyers often approach cases differently than newer attorneys.
The goal is not magic.
The goal is effective representation.
The Banana Pudding Story
One of the most memorable moments of the interview has nothing to do with a jury trial.
While serving with the Judicial Staff Counsel, Andrew spent an entire summer researching an Article 11.07 habeas corpus application in a capital murder case.
After months of reviewing briefs from both sides, he met privately with the trial judge.
Before discussing the law, however, the judge insisted on sharing homemade banana pudding prepared by his staff.
The contrast was striking.
On one hand sat two people enjoying dessert.
On the other lay the legal question of whether anything justified overturning a conviction in a case where a person's life was literally at stake.
Andrew ultimately concluded he could not find a legal basis for relief.
The judge quietly acknowledged how difficult that conclusion was while recognizing that the law required honesty rather than wishful thinking.
The story perfectly captures something criminal lawyers rarely discuss publicly.
The law is deeply human.
Even judges carry the emotional weight of difficult decisions.
The Chicken Case
Every criminal defense lawyer accumulates unforgettable stories.
Andrew's current favorite involves what has become known as "the chicken case."
The allegations sound almost fictional.
A man allegedly shot a chicken.
Later, he allegedly shot a guinea hen.
An autopsy was reportedly performed on the guinea hen.
Eventually, the case resulted in felony charges.
As Andrew jokes, if you're preparing for a felony jury trial involving a dead chicken, you've officially entered the strange world of criminal defense.
Although he understandably avoids discussing the facts in detail because the case remained pending at the time of recording, the story highlights one reality every criminal defense attorney understands:
Truth is often stranger than fiction.
No novelist could invent many of the cases that arrive in criminal court every week.
Connecting With Juries
Andrew also discusses what he believes is one of his greatest strengths as a trial lawyer.
Connecting with jurors.
Rather than focusing exclusively on legal arguments, he emphasizes relationships.
He believes jurors first need to connect with the lawyer before they can fully appreciate the client's perspective.
Years spent preaching sermons every week taught him how to communicate with diverse audiences.
A congregation is not unlike a jury.
Every person arrives with different experiences.
Different beliefs.
Different personalities.
Different expectations.
An effective speaker learns to reach all of them.
Andrew believes those communication skills now serve him well during:
voir dire;
opening statements;
closing arguments;
punishment hearings.
Andrew Herreth agrees, noting that he has specifically relied upon Andrew to handle punishment proceedings because of his ability to connect emotionally with jurors.
If He Weren't a Lawyer...
Like Episode 1, the interview concludes with lighter questions.
Asked what career he might have pursued outside law and ministry, Andrew surprises listeners once again.
He studied opera.
He is a trained opera singer.
He also plays bass guitar—including performing the bass track heard in the podcast's intro music.
Music remains an important part of his life, even though it ultimately became a hobby rather than a profession.
It's another reminder that lawyers often bring surprisingly diverse backgrounds into the courtroom.
Those experiences enrich not only their lives but also the way they advocate for clients.
The Best Career Advice He Ever Received
Toward the end of the interview, Andrew shares one of the most practical pieces of career advice he has ever heard.
If you enjoy your work approximately 80% of the time, keep doing it.
If that percentage falls, take a vacation.
Rest.
Recover.
Then evaluate again.
But if you consistently find yourself enjoying your profession less than half the time—even after taking time away—it may be time to consider a career change.
Looking back, Andrew realizes he had reached that point before leaving ministry.
Today, he says something many professionals hope to be able to say:
"I love my job."
That enthusiasm is evident throughout the conversation.
Advice for Future Lawyers
Andrew's advice for prospective law students is grounded in experience rather than idealism.
Don't become a lawyer simply because you think lawyers make a lot of money.
Some do.
Many don't.
Instead, pursue the profession because you genuinely want to help people and enjoy the work itself.
He also reminds future attorneys that every case involves real human beings.
Clients.
Victims.
Families.
Witnesses.
Judges.
Jurors.
The legal issues matter.
But the people matter more.
That perspective may ultimately define the type of lawyer someone becomes.
Conclusion
Episode 2 provides listeners with something increasingly rare in today's legal world:
Authenticity.
Rather than presenting an idealized version of a legal career, Andrew Decker openly discusses career changes, uncertainty, failures, victories, and the lessons learned along the way.
His journey—from ministry to law school, from student intern to respected criminal defense attorney—demonstrates that there is no single path into criminal defense.
Some lawyers arrive through prosecution.
Others through civil practice.
Some, like Andrew, arrive through lives spent helping people in entirely different professions.
What unites successful criminal defense attorneys is not where they started.
It's the commitment to representing clients with compassion, integrity, preparation, and courage.
For listeners of the Texas Criminal Defense Podcast, understanding Andrew's background adds valuable context to every future discussion about trial strategy, constitutional law, ethics, and advocacy.
The experiences that shaped him continue to influence the lawyer—and podcast host—he is today.
Key Takeaways
Andrew Decker spent approximately 15 years as a United Methodist minister before attending law school.
He entered law school at nearly forty years old, demonstrating that legal careers can begin at any stage of life.
His internships with the Tarrant County courts and district attorney's office introduced him to criminal law from multiple perspectives.
Early courtroom experience against highly respected attorneys reinforced the importance of preparation and professionalism over simply winning.
Ministry prepared him exceptionally well for criminal defense because both professions require empathy, communication, and trust.
Criminal defense is fundamentally about representing people—not merely litigating legal issues.
Connecting with jurors often begins by connecting with people on a human level.
Choose a legal career because you love the work, not because you expect financial success alone.
Contact us:
www.texascrimdefense.com