Gibbs-Benesh thrives on change

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An ability to roll with unexpected changes has moved Genny Gibbs-Benesh across the country and kept her in demand as a paralegal.

Gibbs-Benesh, who grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., and her husband, Chuck, spent the day after their wedding moving for what became a “two-year honeymoon in Montana,” she said. From Montana, the couple and their baby, Meredith, headed to Madison for the start of Chuck Gibbs-Benesh’s doctorate studies.

They intended to return to California, Genny Gibbs-Benesh said, but Wisconsin became home after a change in her husband’s studies and the solid footing she had gained from working at Cullen Weston Pines & Bach LLP.

“I had to overcome a lot of self-doubt,” she said about her early years as a professional, wife and mom. “Staying wasn’t in the original plan, but, as it turned out … [Madison] is a great place to raise a child, and I’ve had a great employer.”

Genny Gibbs-Benesh’s ability to adjust to what often are large changes has made her a regular pick at Cullen to conduct witness interviews, part of an expanded position that came with earning her paralegal certification.

Although she typically works in criminal defense, Genny Gibbs-Benesh said she’s learned the most from cases that moved her outside her comfort zone. One such case was a real estate dispute that lasted multiple years and required such work as trial PowerPoint slides and wetlands designation research.

“In law, if you think one case is the same way as a previous case, you’ll be sadly mistaken and disappointed,” she said. “Every case is unique and has [its] own facts.”