Hirsch studied economics and law at the universities of Frankfurt and Munich. He earned his doctorate in 1924, followed by Habilitation in 1930, at the University of Giessen. In January 1931, Hirsch received a lifetime appointment as a regional and local court judge in Frankfurt. During the same period, he also worked as a university lecturer.

Hirsch was dismissed in 1933 due to his Jewish origins. Later that same year, he accepted the invitation of the Turkish government to take up the Chair of Commercial Law at the University of Istanbul. From 1943 onward, he taught at the Faculty of Law at Ankara University. He was involved in the drafting of the Turkish Commercial Code and the Turkish Copyright Act. Hirsch taught at Freie Universität from 1952 until his retirement in 1967.