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The Hull Firm: An Austin Native Paired With the Prosecutor Who Built the DWI Cases He Now Defends

Mark Hull was born and raised in Austin and has practiced criminal defense exclusively in the city since 2003 — more than two decades showing up in the same Travis County courtrooms, in front of the same judges, week after week. He’s built his firm around pairing that local trial experience with Allison Tisdale, a former Travis County DWI prosecutor who personally built the cases the firm’s attorneys now defend against. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of Austin DWI attorney options.

At a Glance

Origin & Background

Mark Hull was born and raised in Austin and has practiced criminal defense exclusively in the city since 2003. His stated advantage is direct familiarity — he describes knowing “the Travis County courts, prosecutors, and judges the way you only learn them by showing up every week for two decades.” He does not hold Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in any specialty, a distinction this profile notes because several other Austin criminal defense attorneys in this directory do hold that credential. Allison Tisdale, a key attorney at the firm, spent years inside the Travis County District Attorney’s office as Chief Misdemeanor Prosecutor, Special Prosecutor for complex blood DWI cases, and the DA’s representative to the DWI Diversion Court — meaning she personally evaluated and built the kinds of DWI cases she now defends against. Katie Barnwell, also on the team, holds a UT Austin undergraduate degree with paralegal certification and a J.D. from St. Mary’s School of Law, with prior clerkships at the U.S. Attorney’s Violent Crimes Unit and the Bexar County DA’s Office.

Austin DWI Attorney Practice Concentration

The firm handles criminal defense broadly — assault and family violence, drug charges, theft, probation violations, weapons charges, white-collar crimes, and juvenile cases — alongside a dedicated DWI/DUI defense practice covering standard DWI through felony and blood-DWI matters. The firm’s stated strategic framework breaks every case down to three core questions: was the traffic stop legal, do the field sobriety tests hold up, and does the BAC evidence survive challenge — a consistent, repeatable analytical approach rather than case-by-case improvisation.

Track Record

The firm reports more than 930 dismissals or rejected cases since 2021 and more than 700 case dismissals specifically across Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties, without a published, dated case-by-case breakdown distinguishing dismissals from reduced charges or diversion outcomes. Awesome Attorneys could not independently verify these aggregate figures and presents them as the firm’s own claims.

Client Voice

The firm holds a 4.9-star rating on TrustAnalytica and a 5.0 Google rating across hundreds of reviews:

“Being charged was overwhelming, but Mark Hull stayed calm and took time to understand my full situation. He explained options clearly, flagged risks early, and prepared thoroughly from evidence review to courtroom strategy.” — client review, Google/Trustindex

“I had 2 DWI and a felony charge pending of which he has been able so far to get the felony dropped as well as 1 of the DWI’s… Mark has been nothing but supportive & continued to work hard to not only keep me out of jail but make sure I maintain a clean record.” — client review, firm testimonials page

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a pattern of negative reviews during this research.

Beyond the Courtroom

Hull’s recognition as National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Litigator of the Year (2023) reflects sustained peer visibility within trial-focused defense organizations. Tisdale’s prior role as the Travis County DA’s representative to the DWI Diversion Court gives the firm direct, insider familiarity with how that specific alternative-resolution program is administered — relevant for clients who may be diversion-eligible.

Recognition

Mark Hull holds no TBLS board certification, so this profile does not describe his practice using the term “specialist.” His National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Litigator of the Year recognitions are legitimate peer and organizational honors but carry less formal rigor than board certification. The firm’s genuine strength on paper is Allison Tisdale’s specific institutional prosecutorial background — her prior title as Special Prosecutor for complex blood DWI cases is a documented, verifiable credential distinct from general “former prosecutor” marketing language many firms use more loosely.

Texas Legal Backdrop

A first DWI in Texas is a Class B misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code § 49.04 (up to 180 days in jail, a fine up to $2,000), escalating to felony DWI with prior convictions or aggravating factors. Blood-draw DWI cases — an area of Tisdale’s specific prior prosecutorial specialization — often turn on chain-of-custody and forensic testing challenges distinct from standard breath-test cases. A driver has 15 days from arrest to request an Administrative License Revocation hearing under Texas Transportation Code Chapters 524 and 724 to contest an automatic license suspension. Travis County’s DWI Diversion Court, referenced in Tisdale’s prior role, offers an alternative resolution track for qualifying defendants under locally administered eligibility criteria distinct from standard prosecution.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

The Hull Firm’s genuine strength is a real, complementary team structure: Mark Hull’s two decades of exclusively Austin-based criminal defense experience paired with Allison Tisdale’s specific, verifiable background building DWI cases from inside the Travis County DA’s office. That combination — defense-side trial volume plus documented prosecution-side institutional knowledge — is a credible, differentiated positioning, and the firm’s high-volume, consistently positive review record (hundreds of 5-star reviews) supports a genuinely active, well-regarded practice.

The gap worth naming directly: Hull himself does not hold TBLS board certification, unlike several competing Austin criminal defense and DWI attorneys in this directory. The firm’s case-volume claims (930+ dismissals) are impressive but not independently broken down by outcome type, so prospective clients should ask directly what portion reflects full dismissals versus reduced charges or diversion program completions.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the firm’s own website (thehullfirm.com, including its About, Our Team, and Testimonials pages), the firm’s Yelp, Better Business Bureau, TrustAnalytica, and Poyst review pages, and Lawful.com’s attorney directory listing. Statutory citations were checked against the Texas Penal Code and Texas Transportation Code. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; all client reviews and case-volume figures are attributed to the firm’s own published materials and platform reviews.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by The Hull Firm 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 The Hull Firm or Awesome Attorneys.