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The 12 Best Personal Injury Lawyers in San Francisco

San Francisco injury firms range from solo attorneys who handle every file personally to established trial firms with physicians on staff. Most work on contingency, so the real differences lie in the cases they take, who you will actually deal with and whether minor claims are accepted at all.

This guide covers firms with offices in the city that handle car, bicycle, pedestrian, rideshare and transit injuries. For each one we note the main case types, the attorney you would work with, languages spoken and any limits on the cases they accept.

How we chose and ordered them

To put together this guide to personal injury lawyers in San Francisco, we looked at what each business really focuses on, how its customers rate it over time and what it shows about its work on its own channels. The order is ours and we review it regularly.

Some businesses pay for a fuller profile or a featured position. It is only open to those that have already passed our selection, and it is always marked.

Top 3All optionsMapWhat to look for

Weigh 12 local options side by side

Anderson Franco Law, San Francisco#1
What it does well
  • Former insurance-defense attorney

  • Every case handled personally

  • English and Spanish

Anderson Franco Law

5.0114 reviews

Open 24 hours

71 Stevenson St Ste 400, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
Works well for
Direct contact with your attorney

Its strength lies in direct access: Anderson Franco personally runs every case the firm accepts. Before representing injured people he worked as an insurance-defense attorney, which shapes how he anticipates insurer arguments. Cases include car and truck collisions, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, construction injuries and dangerous property conditions. Representation is available in English and Spanish, with offices in San Francisco and Marin County. That background helps when an insurer disputes fault, treatment gaps or preexisting conditions.

Goodrow Law Office, San Francisco#2
What it does well
  • Trial-ready case preparation

  • Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer's College graduate

  • Contingency fees only

Goodrow Law Office

5.0102 reviews
Law Chambers Building, 345 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Works well for
Clients wanting a trial-focused lawyer

Goodrow Law Office suits injured people who want a lawyer preparing for court from the outset. Russell Goodrow says he works up every case as if it is going to trial, a habit that began with his first trials at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office in 2004. The firm handles claims against negligent drivers, property owners, employers and healthcare providers. It works on contingency from the Law Chambers Building near Civic Center. A trial-ready file gives you leverage when an insurer will not negotiate fairly.

Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, San Francisco#3
What it does well
  • Physician attorney on staff

  • Kaiser and malpractice claims

  • Costs advanced on contingency

Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger

4.9169 reviews
650 California St 26th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Works well for
Serious injuries with complex medical issues

Walkup suits people with serious injuries whose cases may turn on complex medical questions. The firm keeps a full-time physician attorney on staff and a second doctor-lawyer on call to assess medical issues and screen malpractice claims. Its caseload spans car and bicycle crashes, rideshare collisions, brain and spinal injuries, Kaiser claims and wrongful death. It works fully on contingency and advances investigation and witness costs. Clients with hard-to-document injuries get an in-house medical assessment from the start.

Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, San Francisco#4
What it does well
  • All-female legal team

  • Traffic accident cases only

  • Settlement-focused approach

Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers

4.9123 reviews

Open 24 hours

1857 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Works well for
Serious traffic accident injuries

Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers is built for people seriously hurt in California traffic collisions. The all-female team takes only vehicle accident cases with significant injuries such as broken bones, brain trauma or injuries needing surgery. Its approach centers on negotiating a full settlement with insurers without going to trial. Offices are in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the firm has handled injury claims since 1997. Anyone with only soft-tissue injuries should look elsewhere, since those claims are declined.

The Hassell Law Group, San Francisco#5
What it does well
  • Offices on 19th Avenue and in Pinole

  • Free car accident guides

  • Spanish-speaking contact

The Hassell Law Group

4.976 reviews
4079 19th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
Works well for
Southwest SF and East Bay clients

Residents of the southwest neighborhoods have a practical option in The Hassell Law Group, which also takes clients across the Bay Area. Led by managing attorney Dawn Hassell, it handles serious injury and wrongful death claims from offices on 19th Avenue and in Pinole. The firm publishes free guides to Bay Area car accidents and to documenting a claim with photographs. Spanish speakers have a dedicated contact. Reading those guides before a consultation helps you arrive with the right evidence.

GJEL Accident Attorneys, San Francisco#6
What it does well
  • Home and hospital visits

  • Muni and City vehicle claims

  • Spanish spoken, phones answered 24/7

GJEL Accident Attorneys

5.042 reviews

Open 24 hours

883 Sacramento St Apt a, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Works well for
Hospital visits and transit claims

GJEL works well for seriously injured people who cannot easily get to a law office, since its lawyers meet clients at home or in the hospital. Andrew Gillin founded the firm in 1972, and it keeps a San Francisco office on Sacramento Street. It handles car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian crashes, brain and paralysis injuries, dangerous roads and wrongful death. Its local page explains claims involving Muni, cable cars and City vehicles. Those claims carry a six-month filing deadline, so early contact matters.

Law Offices of Matthew J. Quinlan, San Francisco#7
What it does well
  • Muni, BART and AC Transit claims

  • Frequent dog bite cases

  • House fire and wildfire claims

Law Offices of Matthew J. Quinlan

4.962 reviews
3223 Webster St, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
Works well for
Dog bites and transit injuries

Dog bite and public transit cases are where Matthew J. Quinlan's practice stands apart. The firm represents people hurt on Muni, BART and AC Transit, along with cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and skateboarders. It also litigates house fire and utility wildfire claims, including work for Eaton Fire victims. Quinlan founded the firm and has been lead attorney on each case since 2005. A rider injured on a bus or train gets a firm that regularly handles claims against transit agencies.

Law Office of John J. Roach, San Francisco#8
What it does well
  • Full representation in Spanish

  • No associate handoffs

  • Brain and spinal cord cases

Law Office of John J. Roach

5.036 reviews

Open 24 hours

1388 Sutter St #810, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
Works well for
Spanish speakers and complex injuries

Spanish-speaking clients who want to talk to their lawyer without an interpreter will find a good fit in John J. Roach. He conducts consultations and full representation in Spanish when preferred, and handles every case personally with no associate handoffs. His work centers on car and truck crashes, rideshare collisions, pedestrian injuries, brain and spinal cord injuries and wrongful death. He founded the firm in 2015 and prepares cases for arbitration or trial. Clients keep the same point of contact from intake to resolution.

Halavanau Law Office, San Francisco#9
What it does well
  • Injury and tenant rights practice

  • Most cases on contingency

  • Free case evaluation

Halavanau Law Office

5.048 reviews

Open 24 hours

1388 Sutter St Ste 1010, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
Works well for
Tenants with injury or housing claims

Renters who need help with both an injury and a housing dispute are the natural clients of Halavanau Law Office. Gene Halavanau handles vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall claims, dog bites and wrongful death, and also represents tenants in wrongful eviction, landlord harassment and habitability cases. Most cases are taken on contingency, and consultations are free. The office is on Sutter Street near Van Ness. A tenant hurt by unsafe conditions in a building can raise both issues with one lawyer.

Scarlett Law Group, San Francisco#10
What it does well
  • Traumatic brain injury focus

  • Small trial practice

  • Over 30 years of practice

Scarlett Law Group

4.730 reviews
540 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Works well for
Brain injury and catastrophic cases

Scarlett Law Group suits families dealing with traumatic brain injury, catastrophic harm or a wrongful death. The firm describes itself as a trial practice rather than a volume practice, with a small team that prepares every case for court. Founding lawyer Randall H. Scarlett has practiced for more than 30 years, and cases include truck wrecks, car crashes and severe dog attacks. Its office is in Jackson Square. Clients with life-changing injuries get a smaller caseload and courtroom preparation from the start.

Delfino Green & Green, San Francisco#11
What it does well
  • Long-term disability claims

  • Aviation accident cases

  • Workers' comp and bad faith

Delfino Green & Green

5.031 reviews

Open 24 hours

711 Van Ness Ave #500, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Works well for
Injuries tied to disability claims

When an injury has led to a disability or an insurance dispute, Delfino Green & Green can take on both. Besides car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian claims, the firm handles long-term disability, workers' compensation and bad faith insurance cases. It also takes less common matters such as aviation accidents and nursing home abuse. The team has represented injured people around the Bay Area for more than 30 years. Someone facing an injury claim and a denied disability claim can keep both with one firm.

Dolan Law Firm, San Francisco#12
What it does well
  • Injury, employment and civil rights

  • Cases supervised by the founder

  • Offices in SF and Oakland

Dolan Law Firm

4.6301 reviews

Open 24 hours

1438 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Works well for
Injury cases tied to civil rights issues

For clients whose injury overlaps with a civil rights or workplace problem, Dolan Law Firm covers both sides. Alongside auto, bicycle, motorcycle, bus and truck accidents, it handles elder abuse, sexual assault, discrimination and wrongful termination cases. Every case is supervised by founder Christopher Dolan, and the firm also has offices in Oakland, Los Angeles and Redondo Beach. Mobile users can reach it by dialing #4Help. Someone hurt through the conduct of an employer or institution can keep both claims with one team.

A quick comparison of the options

#BusinessRatingReviewsWorks well for
#1Anderson Franco Law 5.0114Direct contact with your attorney
#2Goodrow Law Office 5.0102Clients wanting a trial-focused lawyer
#3Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger 4.9169Serious injuries with complex medical issues
#4Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers 4.9123Serious traffic accident injuries
#5The Hassell Law Group 4.976Southwest SF and East Bay clients
#6GJEL Accident Attorneys 5.042Hospital visits and transit claims
#7Law Offices of Matthew J. Quinlan 4.962Dog bites and transit injuries
#8Law Office of John J. Roach 5.036Spanish speakers and complex injuries
#9Halavanau Law Office 5.048Tenants with injury or housing claims
#10Scarlett Law Group 4.730Brain injury and catastrophic cases
#11Delfino Green & Green 5.031Injuries tied to disability claims
#12Dolan Law Firm 4.6301Injury cases tied to civil rights issues

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Map of personal injury lawyers in San Francisco

Most firms in this guide are downtown, between the Financial District, Jackson Square, Civic Center and Market Street, with others on Sutter Street, in the Marina and on 19th Avenue.

Services to look at

  • Car and rideshare collisionsClaims after crashes with private drivers, Uber and Lyft vehicles or commercial trucks, usually pursued against insurers.
  • Bicycle and pedestrian injuriesCases for cyclists and people on foot struck by drivers, including hit-and-run and uninsured motorist claims.
  • Public transit and government claimsInjuries involving Muni, BART, cable cars or City vehicles, which follow shorter government claim deadlines.
  • Premises liability and dog bitesFalls on unsafe property and dog attacks, where the owner's or landlord's insurance usually pays.
  • Wrongful death and catastrophic injuryClaims by families after a fatal accident, and cases involving brain or spinal cord injuries that need long-term care.

How to pick Personal Injury Lawyers in San Francisco

  1. Ask who will handle your fileSome firms pass cases to case managers after signing. If direct contact with an attorney matters to you, ask who returns your calls and who negotiates with the insurer.
  2. Read the contingency agreementCalifornia requires a written fee agreement for contingency cases. Check the percentage, whether it rises if the case goes to trial and how case costs are deducted.
  3. Match the firm to your caseA firm focused on traffic collisions may not take a premises or product claim, and some only accept serious injuries. Describe your case plainly in the first call.
  4. Act early on claims against the cityClaims against public entities such as Muni or the City usually must be filed within six months, far sooner than the two-year limit for most injury lawsuits.

Common questions

How much does a personal injury lawyer cost in San Francisco?

Most work on contingency, so you pay nothing upfront and the fee is a percentage of any settlement or award. The percentage varies by firm and often rises if the case goes to litigation or trial. Case costs such as records and expert fees may be deducted separately, so ask how they are handled before signing.

How long do I have to file an injury claim in California?

For most personal injury lawsuits the limit is two years from the date of injury. Claims against a city, county or transit agency such as Muni usually require a written government claim within six months. Other deadlines can apply, so get advice soon after the accident.

What should I bring to a first consultation?

Bring the police or incident report number, photos of the scene and your injuries, medical records and bills, insurance details for everyone involved and any letters from insurers. A short timeline of what happened and who you have spoken to helps the attorney assess the case quickly.

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