Sorting the winners from the losers is a difficult process. This is especially true with lawyers. Most people find law and lawyers a bit intimidating. This is why, in most cases, I suggest using a local Bay Area lawyer to represent you for issues local to San Francisco. Using a local lawyer for local issues it will easier to find people that know the lawyers reputation.

Here are a few rules of thumb to help you determine if the Bay Area lawyer you want to hire is a looser or a winner.

1. Does he or she answer their own phones. If the Bay Area lawyer in question does not have an assistant to answer their own phone then that is not a good sign. Answering your own phone does not patently mean he or she is a looser. They could have a great win loss ratio but just have a small firm. Or, just like to take a more personal approach. But, it is a strong indicator that this Bay Area lawyer may not have the resources you may need to win your case.
2. Ask for their win loss ratio. If they do not know what it is then they are probably being deceitful. Bay Area Lawyers by their very nature are competitive and what competitor does not keep score.
3. Do they want money up front? If they ask for money upfront this may be an indication of their confidence to prove the case. You may want to look elsewhere.

For these three reasons I always look for a local Bay Area lawyer. Why you ask? Because reputation is everything. So if I hire a Bay Area lawyer that answers their own phone and asks for money up front I will have a broader pool of information to pull from about that them by talking to people that have worked with him or her. A local Bay Area lawyer with a good reputation may have a not so great win loss ratio but knowing local people to tell you about how tough the cases were or some other aspect may help you make a more informed choice.