Behind the Investigations:
A Q&A with Nicholas Quinn

With a foundation in public service and a career built on curiosity and tenacity, Quinlan Partners investigator Nick Quinn says sharp instincts and rigorous methods drive results in complex investigations.

Q&A

Q: How did you first learn about working as an investigator?

I first encountered professional investigators while working at the district attorney's office, where I saw a different side of investigative work beyond traditional law enforcement. After two years there, I decided against pursuing law and stumbled upon an investigations job at another firm—an industry I never knew existed. It was recommended because of my DA experience, and I'm grateful I found it because it perfectly satisfies my natural curiosity. 

Q: How has your unique background contributed to your investigative methodology?

My time at the DA's office helped me develop an investigative mindset and a passion for factfinding that formed the bedrock of who I am as an investigator. Working under Police Academy-trained investigators and prosecutors who spent countless hours in the courtroom, I collaborated on years-long investigations into construction and campaign finance fraud, illicit uses of cryptocurrency on the dark web, and counterterrorism.

Q: What is most different about working in the private versus public sector?

One major tool we relied on in these grand jury investigations was subpoena power, which allowed us to request data from third parties like banks and phone providers to dig into subjects’ their financial behavior and personal networks. A former boss told me that I’d miss subpoena power when I left for the private sector, and that’s something that really stuck with me. Sure, poring over primary documents may have satisfied the gnawing pit in my stomach that forms when I’m at a crossroads in my research – but having to work without the same level of access has also allowed me to appreciate all that’s hiding in the public record. Whether it’s long-forgotten social media posts or a mundane-seeming court exhibit, valuable information is out there. It’s just a matter of finding it. You can teach investigative techniques and tools that may be specific to law enforcement or the private sector, but no matter where you work, success in this field requires genuine interest and curiosity. If you find the fun in it, a tricky investigation doesn't seem as difficult, and you're naturally motivated to dig deeper. 

Q: What do you appreciate most about working at Quinlan Partners?

After working at larger firms, I really appreciate that Quinlan treats you as a whole person, not just a number. Management genuinely cares about employees' well-being and mental state, which makes you excited to come in each day and leads to better results for clients. You don't have to leave your personal life at the door—it's actually embraced, which is something that's really hard to achieve at large employers. Working at a boutique firm fosters more accountability and investment in both the work product and company’s success. Being part of a rapidly growing company where everyone contributes to that growth is empowering and fun. You want to make sure you keep the momentum going, and it’s exciting to be part of that growth trajectory. 

Q: What case outcome are you most proud of?

I'm particularly proud of locating a witness for a client who needed to serve a subpoena but could only find a PO box. The client needed this urgently, and they'd exhausted their own search capabilities before coming to us. Within four hours, I discovered the person had retired, sold their house, and was traveling the country in an RV. By expanding my search to include his wife's social media and Google reviews mentioning specific RV parks and dental appointments, I pinpointed their location and found an active email address. This case demonstrated our value—finding someone an in-house team couldn't locate—and proved that persistence and creative thinking can solve seemingly impossible challenges. We provided the client with multiple data points within hours of our search.

Q: What sets Quinlan apart in identifying hard-to-reach individuals?

While there are always limitations, I believe we're better equipped than most non-government entities to locate people. We have specialized training, database access, and expertise that in-house investigations teams typically lack. So while finding anyone in the world might be ambitious, we'd have a pretty good shot at finding most people.

Q: What's something every non-investigator should know about investigations?

The most important thing is that specialized investigative firms exist and offer capabilities beyond what in-house teams can provide. We're doing this work every day, led by investigative industry veterans with 10, 20, even 30 years of experience. Where your reputation is concerned, or when you're dealing with either a multi-million-dollar decision or a multi-billion-dollar, bet-the-company situation, spending a small fraction of that on real, professional investigative research and support is worth the peace of mind and the powerful advantage it gives you. You can't put a price on truly knowing who or what you’re dealing with. If a decision, a partnership, or  a legal dispute has the potential to go south and an investigation could reveal critical information, the cost-benefit analysis overwhelmingly favors hiring professionals like us. Take the example of the Yahoo executive who misrepresented his education on SEC filings—a seasoned investigator could have caught that fact in minutes. Instead it became a public scandal that impacted share prices and people's livelihoods.

Q: How do you explain Quinlan's value add?

We help clients make confident, informed decisions by providing context and telling a complete story, not just delivering data points. We look for evidence, find facts, and provide the context that allows clients to truly understand what they're dealing with. As a lean, independent team of expert diggers, we'll find and share things that an in-house team or a big consulting firm might miss, downplay or ignore. For example, if I were embedded in a company and wanted an investment to go through, I'd be much less motivated to share something adverse than an independent firm that has no stake in the investment’s success. We don't just tell clients what they want to hear—we prioritize our relationship and trust with them over any particular transaction outcome. Our stake is in growing trust for our clients and enabling their long-term success. Essentially, we provide clients peace of mind and the strategic advantage of knowing there aren't hidden surprises waiting to emerge after the fact. When clients say they've done their homework, hiring us means they can say it with genuine confidence.