Specific, detailed performance feedback may have led to the quick verdict in Davis Polk & Wardwell’s favor in an ex-associate’s retaliation trial on Monday—and it should be a priority for employers before any lawsuits are filed, said an employment attorney who kept close tabs on the trial that pulled back the veil on associate evaluation in Big Law.

Jessica Taub Rosenberg, co-chair of Kasowitz Benson Torres’ employment practices and litigation group, said granular testimony from Davis Polk partners, current and former, added strength to the law firm’s defense.