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Hildreth & Rueda: Nearly Two Decades and 2,500 Cases Before the Firm Even Added a Second Name Partner

Florencia Rueda has been licensed in Texas since 2007 and has personally handled an estimated 2,500 criminal cases from the same Nueces Street address in downtown Austin — long enough that she now serves as an arbitrator with the State Bar of Texas, adjudicating the kind of disputes she once litigated. The firm only recently became Hildreth & Rueda, adding former prosecutor Duke Hildreth as a name partner. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of Austin DUI/DWI defense attorney options.

At a Glance

Origin & Background

Rueda earned her J.D. from Baylor Law School and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2007, building a solo criminal defense practice — originally branded the Law Office of Florencia Rueda — that has operated from the same 1301 Nueces Street office for years. She also serves as an arbitrator with the State Bar of Texas, a role that requires bar appointment and reflects standing within the legal community beyond her own casework. Hildreth joined more recently as a named partner, bringing a former prosecutor’s perspective to the firm; between the two partners, the firm states more than 20 years of combined criminal defense experience. The practice serves clients across Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties and explicitly welcomes Spanish-speaking clients.

Austin DUI/DWI & Criminal Defense Practice Concentration

The firm’s caseload centers on DWI defense — including breath, blood, and total-refusal cases, plus driving-privilege and Administrative License Revocation hearings — alongside assault and family violence charges, and serious felonies including aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, robbery, and burglary of a habitation or building. The firm also handles expunctions for clients seeking to clear resolved matters from their record.

Track Record

Rueda’s own materials cite roughly 2,500 cases handled over her career and describe her breath, blood, and refusal DWI casework specifically. This is the firm’s own reported figure; it is a career case count rather than an outcomes statistic, and past experience does not guarantee any particular result in a new case.

Client Voice

Rueda carries a 5.0 aggregate rating across 164 reviews on Avvo and Lawyers.com — a substantial review volume for a solo-founded practice:

“Florencia has an excellent reputation among fellow defense attorneys and prosecutors alike in Travis County.” — peer endorsement, Avvo

“Florencia Rueda’s knowledge, experience, and success has made her one of the top Criminal Defense attorneys in Austin. I primarily handle family law and I refer my criminal clients to her firm.” — peer endorsement, Avvo

Awesome Attorneys did not identify negative reviews of Rueda during this research. Hildreth, as a more recently added partner, has a thinner independent public review record at the time of this research — a gap disclosed here rather than smoothed over.

Beyond the Courtroom

Rueda’s appointment as a State Bar of Texas arbitrator is a genuine, bar-conferred credential distinct from marketing awards — it requires the Bar itself to select and retain her in that role. The firm’s explicit commitment to serving Spanish-speaking clients, stated directly on its own materials rather than as an afterthought, reflects a specific accessibility choice for the Central Texas market it serves.

Recognition

Neither Rueda nor Hildreth is listed as a Texas Board of Legal Specialization certified specialist in criminal law, and this profile does not use “specialist” language for either attorney as a result. What the record does show is a long, review-verified track record: 164 aggregated reviews at a 5.0 rating is an unusually large and consistently positive sample for a firm of this size, and Rueda’s arbitrator appointment is a peer-vetted role rather than a purchased credential.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Texas DWI law under Penal Code § 49.04 covers both a measured 0.08+ blood alcohol concentration and a broader “loss of normal use” standard tied to impaired mental or physical faculties, which is why firms handling total-refusal cases — a specific area Rueda’s materials cite — need familiarity with the Administrative License Revocation process as well as the criminal case itself; that civil license process runs on a separate, faster timeline than the criminal charge. For expunction work, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55 governs when a person may have records of an arrest that did not lead to a final conviction removed, with eligibility turning on how the underlying case was resolved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Hildreth & Rueda’s strongest asset is longevity married to volume: nearly two decades of Rueda’s own practice, an estimated 2,500 handled cases, and a 164-review sample that stays at a 5.0 aggregate rating is a harder combination to manufacture than a newer firm’s marketing page. The State Bar arbitrator appointment adds a genuine peer-vetted credential on top of that record.

The honest trade-off: neither partner holds Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification, so clients specifically seeking that credential should look elsewhere or ask directly about it, and Hildreth’s individual public track record is thinner than Rueda’s simply because he joined the firm more recently. For DWI and general criminal matters in Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties, particularly for Spanish-speaking clients, this is a well-documented, long-tenured option — just not a board-certified one.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the firm’s own website (youraustinattorney.com), Avvo attorney and firm review pages, Yelp and Facebook business listings, LinkedIn, and third-party legal directories. Statutory citations were checked against the Texas Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure as published by the Texas Legislature. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; all client reviews and peer endorsements are attributed to their original platform.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Hildreth & Rueda prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placements clearly labeled as such, but no payment of any kind determines inclusion in, or the content of, this editorial profile. This article is for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Hildreth & Rueda or Awesome Attorneys.