Lafayette College Awards Shook Partner Honorary Doctor of Law Degree

Lafayette College awarded Shook Partner Stuart Risch with an honorary doctor of law degree at the college’s 190th commencement ceremony on May 24. It was one of three honorary degrees given to Lafayette alumni at this year’s ceremony. Risch originally received his B.A. in political science and history from Lafayette. 

While at Lafayette, Risch participated in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program and was commissioned as a field artillery officer that same year. He would then receive an M.S.S. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College before earning his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. While attending law school, Risch served as a platoon leader, executive officer and company commander in the 78th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Reserve.

Risch went on to receive his LL.M. degree from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School and was nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. He was promoted in July 2021 and oversaw the defense of the Army’s interests in thousands of lawsuits, leading one of the nation’s largest law firms, comprised of over 10,000 lawyers, paralegals and support staff with offices located across the globe.