D&D Attorney Signal Assessment ยท The Retention Studio
The Retention StudioDemesmin & Dover ยท Attorney Signal Assessment ยท Confidential

Flag what you observe.
Not what you hope. Not what you'd say in a meeting.

This assessment is built for Demesmin and Dover specifically. Rate this attorney across the five retention touchpoints based on what you have directly observed. Complete independently โ€” then compare.

How this works: Each partner completes the assessment independently for the same attorney. When both are done, a gap map surfaces the questions where you saw different things. Those gaps are the most important data points in this assessment.

Partner 1 โ€” Demesmin
Partner 2 โ€” Dover
0 of 15 questions answered
CONNECT
First 90 Days
Days 1โ€“90
Q01 ยท CONNECT
In the first 90 days, did this attorney's physical presence and engagement match the energy they brought to the interview, or did something quietly pull back?
0No noticeable pullback; energy matched or exceeded the interview.
1Slight dip in energy, but generally engaged.
2Clear pullback in presence or engagement after the first few weeks.
3Noticeably disengaged compared to interview from early on.
Q02 ยท CONNECT
Did this attorney bring any personal presence to their workspace and early interactions โ€” or did they stay in a kind of permanent interview mode well past their first month?
0Brought personal presence quickly; felt like part of the firm.
1Took some time, but eventually warmed up and personalized their presence.
2Mostly stayed in "polite, professional only" mode past the first month.
3Still feels like they're in interview mode; no real personal presence.
Q03 ยท CONNECT
When teammates attempted to connect with this attorney early on, did they engage and reciprocate โ€” or respond with politeness that never warmed into anything?
0Actively engaged and reciprocated; relationships formed naturally.
1Mixed: some genuine connection, some polite-but-distant interactions.
2Mostly polite but cool; few real connections formed.
3Consistently stayed on the surface; no meaningful connection at all.
ALIGN
Expectation vs. Reality
Months 6โ€“18
Q04 ยท ALIGN
Has this attorney referenced what they were told during hiring in contrast to what they're experiencing now โ€” even once, even casually?
0Never referenced any disconnect between hiring promises and reality.
1Mentioned it once in passing, without much weight.
2Brought it up a few times or with visible frustration.
3References this mismatch regularly or as a clear grievance.
Q05 ยท ALIGN
In conversations with this attorney, have you noticed a shift from them bringing questions and ideas to simply reporting what they're working on?
0Still brings ideas, questions, and forward-looking input.
1Slight shift; fewer ideas, but still some forward-looking conversation.
2Mostly status updates now; ideas are rare.
3Only reports tasks and deliverables; no forward-looking engagement.
Q06 ยท ALIGN
Have you noticed this attorney using distancing language โ€” "the firm does X" instead of "we do X" โ€” where ownership language used to be?
0Consistently uses "we/our" โ€” strong ownership language.
1Occasional distancing language, but not a clear pattern.
2Regular mix, with "the firm/they" showing up more often now.
3Mostly speaks in distancing terms; "we/our" is rare.
PLACE
Role Clarity and Path
Ongoing
Q07 ยท PLACE
Has this attorney ever directly or indirectly asked about what advancement or growth looks like inside D&D?
0Has not raised advancement or growth at all.
1Asked once casually or indirectly.
2Has raised it multiple times or with clear concern.
3Frequently questions growth and advancement; seems focused on it.
Q08 ยท PLACE
Does this attorney seem most engaged when working on things outside their defined role โ€” and noticeably flat when working within it?
0Engaged in core role and in stretch work; no clear mismatch.
1Slightly more energized by stretch work, but still engaged in core role.
2Clearly more alive outside their defined role; flat in core work.
3Only really engaged outside role; consistently disengaged in core role.
Q09 ยท PLACE
Have you heard this attorney describe their own work in minimizing terms โ€” "I just handle X," "it's pretty straightforward" โ€” when the work is neither?
0Describes their work with appropriate weight and ownership.
1Occasional minimizing comments; not a strong pattern.
2Regularly minimizes their work or role in conversations.
3Almost always talks about their work in minimizing or dismissive terms.
INVEST
Development and Recognition
Year 1โ€“3
Q10 ยท INVEST
When this attorney receives recognition โ€” praise, a win, acknowledgment from leadership โ€” does it visibly land, or does it seem to pass through them without registering?
0Recognition clearly lands; they respond with visible appreciation or energy.
1Mixed; sometimes it lands, sometimes it seems to glide past.
2Usually flat response; recognition rarely seems to register.
3Consistently flat or closed off when recognized; no visible impact.
Q11 ยท INVEST
Has this attorney stopped raising their hand for stretch work, new challenges, or opportunities to be visible inside the firm?
0Still actively volunteers for new and visible work.
1Volunteering has decreased slightly, but not disappeared.
2Rarely raises their hand now; noticeable drop from earlier behavior.
3No longer volunteers at all; actively avoids new or visible work.
Q12 ยท INVEST
Has compensation come up more than once in conversations with this attorney โ€” outside of a formal review or negotiation context?
0Compensation has not come up informally.
1Mentioned once informally, without much emphasis.
2Brought up a few times informally, with some concern implied.
3Regularly raises compensation informally; clear ongoing concern.
AMPLIFY
Institutional Contribution
Year 2+
Q13 ยท AMPLIFY
When new attorneys join, does this attorney take any informal ownership of welcoming them and bringing them into how D&D operates โ€” or do they stay on the sidelines?
0Actively welcomes and orients new attorneys; clear informal ownership.
1Occasionally engages with new hires, but not consistently.
2Rarely interacts beyond what is strictly required.
3Stays fully on the sidelines; no informal ownership at all.
Q14 ยท AMPLIFY
Has this attorney gone from active participant to quiet observer in conversations about the firm's future, growth, or direction?
0Actively participates in firm-future conversations.
1Slight decrease in participation, but still engaged.
2Mostly quiet now; participation has noticeably dropped.
3Consistently silent and checked out in these conversations.
Q15 ยท AMPLIFY
Have you noticed a new kind of lightness or detachment in this attorney that doesn't read as contentment โ€” more like someone who has already made a decision they haven't announced yet?
0No sense of detachment; presence feels stable and grounded.
1Occasional hints of detachment, but not a consistent pattern.
2Regular sense of lightness or distance that feels "one foot out."
3Strong, persistent sense they've already made a decision to leave.
Please answer all 15 questions before submitting.

Signal Assessment Complete.
Here is what the comparison shows.

Once you've both completed the assessment for this attorney, review each partner's scores independently โ€” then focus on the gap map below.

Partner 1 โ€” Demesmin
โ€” / 45
Partner 2 โ€” Dover
โ€” / 45
Score by touchpoint
Gap map
The questions below show where each partner's observations differed. A gap of 2 or more on a single question is the most important signal in this assessment. It means two people observing the same attorney reached fundamentally different conclusions โ€” and that gap is worth a direct conversation before either score matters.
No gap โ€” both partners saw the same thing
Gap of 1 โ€” minor difference in perception
Gap of 2+ โ€” significant difference. Start here.
"When people feel seen, they stay. When they stay, they build. And what they build becomes your business."

This assessment is one data point โ€” not a verdict. A high score on a single question warrants attention. A pattern across a touchpoint warrants action. A gap between what the two of you saw is the conversation this assessment was built to start.

The next step is a structured debrief โ€” walking through each flagged signal together, identifying the one or two highest-leverage interventions, and deciding what gets addressed first.