Do you seek an issued patent or a patent outcome (which may not, in fact, be an issued patent) that creates value for your business? If the former, go ahead and hire a competent patent attorney. She can probably (but not always) get you the result that you want. If, on the contrary, you seek a patent outcome that has the aim and goal of enhancing your business value and exit strategy, you cannot base your selection of a patent professional solely on the basis of her credentials and expertise.
The effort required to generate a patent that possesses business value is very different than a patent that provides only legal protection for an invention. Indeed, business value is a business question that a client cannot expect his patent expert to be able to discern for him. Instead, customer discovery, financial