John Bick, the former leader of Davis Polk & Wardwell’s mergers and acquisitions practice on Tuesday testified about the decision-making that led to former associate Kaloma Cardwell’s “time to go” discussion in 2018.

Cardwell, the only Black male in Davis Polk’s 2014 associate class, is pursuing a retaliation suit against the firm and three individual defendants, including Bick and former managing partner Thomas Reid. Bick retired from Davis Polk and took on an “honorary” position as senior counsel in 2021, he testified; Reid is now chief legal officer at Comcast.