Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has announced the death of Hamburg managing partner, Nadine Herrmann, aged 45. 

Herrmann, an antitrust lawyer, joined the firm as partner in 2012, rising to become chair of the firm’s EU and German competition law practice. 

Uniquely for such a talented litigator – whose academic achievements included a PhD in law – she had worked in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. She was qualified in Brussels, Germany and England & Wales.

She trained and qualified at Allen & Overy, rising rapidly through the ranks to become a partner in 2009, and had stints in the London, Frankfurt and Hamburg offices. She also spent a year on secondment at US firm Fenwick & West in California.

At Quinn Emanuel, Herrmann developed the firm’s antitrust practice, working between Brussels and Hamburg while liaising closely with London. 

Her work included significant follow-on damages cases, such as 2015 shareholder action against Volkswagen following the ‘dieselgate’ scandal in support of institutional investors, for which she worked closely with Quinn’s London senior partner Richard East.

She also acted for a group of hedge funds in capital markets litigation against Porsche surrounding the failed 2008 takeover attempt of Volkswagen, as well as representing Samsung and Google in long-running German and EU litigation against US tech giant Apple. 

The firm said that colleagues and competitors alike praised her impressive intellect and keen analytical eye, describing her as professionally strong and personally pleasant. 

Litigation funder CDC Cartel Damage Claims said on LinkedIn: “Nadine was not only a brilliant lawyer that steered us successfully through the appeal procedure in our landmark German cement cartel, but foremost a humble person with a great sense of humour and team spirit.”

In her final post on LinkedIn last month, Herrmann praised the opening of Quinn’s new office in Berlin – the US firm’s fifth office in Germany – calling it “an incredible journey” and saying “I‘m proud of having been a part of this for a long time and I‘m sure there is more to come”.

Partners from the firm paid tribute to Herrmann. "With Nadine's passing, we are not only losing a brilliant lawyer but also a steadfast partner and a very good friend. She owed her success to her universally recognised talent, her total commitment and her strength of character. She leaves a gap that cannot be filled," said Marcus Grosch, the firm’s Germany managing partner, a friend and colleague of Herrmann for more than 15 years.

Quinn’s founder and chairman, John Quinn, said: "We will all remember Nadine as an outstanding, humorous and collegial partner who contributed significantly to the success of our German practice. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts go out to her family at this difficult time."

The firm announced it would award an annual scholarship in Herrmann’s name to honour her memory.