Mankato, MN (January 8, 2024) – Cory Genelin’s, a partner with Gislason & Hunter LLP, affiliation with the United States Air Force began in 1994 when he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps. From 1998 to 2003, he served on active duty as an Air Battle Manager, flying aboard the E-8C Joint Surveillance Targeting Attack Radar System or “J-STARS” aircraft based out of Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. On board the E-8C, Genelin served as an Air Weapons Officer, Sensor Management Officer and eventually as Senior Director, in command of the Operations Section of the aircraft. Genelin served with the 330th Combat Training Squadron as a flying and classroom Instructor and Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner. Genelin’s active duty service included combat in the skies over Iraq and classified intelligence collection missions in the Pacific rim. Genelin left active duty in 2003 to attend law school.
In 2009, Genelin joined the 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard in Fargo as a Judge Advocate. In 2011, he was promoted to Staff Judge Advocate. Genelin began as the youngest and ended as the longest-serving Staff Judge Advocate in North Dakota history. As Staff Judge Advocate, Genelin was essentially in-house counsel to the Wing, an organization with about 1,200 employees and assets distributed around the world in support of ongoing combat and surveillance operations. Genelin oversaw the Wing’s legal office and advised commanders on military justice, the law of armed conflict, intelligence oversight, employment law, and environmental law. He retires at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Genelin’s legal practice includes general litigation, employment law, and mediation services. His experience leading combat operations keeps him calm in the face of aggressive litigation and has taught him to be constantly evaluating tactical and strategic opportunities. His service as Staff Judge Advocate developed his tendency to think like in-house counsel: looking out for his client’s long-term interests rather than focusing only on the single problem at hand. Genelin’s mediation skills are supported by years of working on Wing Staff as a Staff Judge Advocate, which often involved serving as an outsider to resolve competing directives within the Wing.
Genelin intends to take the time previously devoted to the Air National Guard to both expand his legal practice and spend more time with his wife, children and growing cattle herd.
