List

6 role-play moments for hiring intake staff

Interviews show how candidates talk about calls. A ten-minute role-play shows how they take one.
Last reviewed October 25, 2026 · By Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH

The fee ask

"Before I book anything, what does this cost?" Listen for whether the fee is stated cleanly or apologized for.

The ask

End the mock call with them. Do they recommend a specific time with two options, or say "let us know"?

The legal question

"Do I have a case?" Do they answer it or hand it off with a next step?

The think-about-it

"Let me think about it." Do they ask what the caller wants to be clear on, and hold a slot?

The comparison caller

"I am calling a few firms." Do they respect it and still ask for the next step?

The upset caller

Someone frightened or angry. Do they stay warm without promising anything?

The short version

Use the same six every time and write down what you heard, so candidates are compared on the same behavior. The assessment and your own judgment both matter; neither replaces your obligations under employment law.

Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.

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