Ben Gichner, a local Delaware lawyer, co-founded a law firm called Benchmark Legal in Seattle. He passed the bar exams in both Delaware and Washington, despite falling national pass rates. The firm helps entrepreneurs and small businesses with legal services. Gichner represents clients in both Delaware and Washington, traveling between the two states to meet with clients. One of his clients, Sean Cummings, owns a furniture business called 714 Decor and finds working with Gichner remotely to be easy and beneficial for his growing business.

1. 24 | DELAWAREBEACHES.COM COASTAL DELAWARE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015
BUSINESS
In August, Bloomberg’s
Business Week asked, “Are
Lawyers Getting Dumber?”
The article cited falling bar pas-
sage rates as evidence of an in-
creasingly incompetent attor-
ney population in the U.S.
Then,inSeptember,onelocal
attorneyrespondedintruelocal
form.
Ben Gichner grew up in
Ocean View, the son of Michael
and Joanne Gichner. He went to
Indian River High School, grad-
uated from the University of
North Carolina at Wilmington,
and received his JD from Penn
State’sDickinsonSchoolofLaw.
Now, the local attorney has
passed the bar exam in both
Delaware and Washington
states despite the falling pas-
sage rates across the country.
The Delaware Bar Exam con-
sists of two-and-a-half days of
multiple-choice questions and
essays. Washington’s bar exam
is two days of questions and es-
says.
Gichner has passed both ex-
ams and recently co-founded
Benchmark Legal, a small firm
in Seattle with big firm ideas.
But he’s staying true to his
hometown roots.
“I’ve always had the urge to
build upon this idea, to start my
own firm, and I couldn’t wait,”
he said. “Seattle has a thriving
tech industry, and I want to be a
part of it by helping entrepre-
neurs bring their inventions
and intellectual property to the
market. My business partner
and close friend from law
school lives in Seattle, and we
bothsharedthisideaofcreating
a true, dual-coast law firm.”
Gichner and his co-founder
at Benchmark Legal, PLLC,
Joshua Bam, help entrepre-
neursandsmallbusinesseswith
company formations, idea pro-
tection, and much more.
“Ben helps me understand
what’s going on and plan
through it. I think 714 Décor
would be a very different thing
without Ben’s help,” said Sean
Cummings of 714 Décor, LLC.
Cummings’ business, 714 Dé-
cor, designs and manufactures
unique furniture and pieces of
art. His business is currently on
Facebook and he has an online
store front coming soon. Cum-
mings was working with Gichn-
er even before he set up prac-
tice in Seattle.
“It’s just like working with
Ben in person, but now he’s con-
nected me with a Patent Agent
in Oregon who’s been really
great,” Cummings said. “I
haven’t really given much
thought to the long-distance
thing actually. It’s just not an is-
sue.”
Gichner says he wants a
small firm with personal client
attention that provides big firm
services. He says clients should
be able to promote their ideas
on a grand scale with a reason-
able budget.
“I like to tell clients that it’s
always about the passion you in-
vest in your idea; it’s my job to
stand with you to help you suc-
ceed,” he said. “So starting this
firm seemed like an easy
choice. We’re invested in our
clients and their lives. We’re
passionate about helping people
succeed. That’s what growing
up in Sussex County has taught
me.”
Gichner grew up lifeguard-
ing on the Fenwick Island
Beach Patrol, running through
the light of early mornings and
diving head first into cold wa-
ter.
“It’s more a lifestyle, a phi-
losophy I guess,” he said. “I’m
someone who likes to jump in
and get started. Our clients like
that about us too.”
Gichner and Cummings’s
families have been friends for
years. Cummings is also from
Sussex County and is the son of
Mike Cummings, owner of Mi-
ken Builders Inc., in Millville.
For the Cummings, entrepre-
neurship runs in the family. His
older brother also runs his own
business.
“It’s great having a friend I
trustwhocantakecareofthele-
gal side of everything,” Cum-
mings said. “He’s made things a
lot easier.”
So far, Gichner’s path to his
own practice hasn’t been very
conventional. He attended the
oldest law school in Pennsylva-
nia,thefiftholdestlawschoolin
the nation, moved across the
country to start a business, and
Bloomberg’s article about bar
passage rates doesn’t seem to
apply to him.
“I guess the article makes
sense if you look at bar passage
rates.” Gichner said. “We al-
ways recommend our clients
choose their counsel carefully.
Obviously, having an attorney
licensed in a few states isn’t a
bad idea.”
Delaware’sbarexamisargu-
ably one of the hardest in the
country, and after passing one
exam, most attorneys wouldn’t
necessarily be thrilled to drive
across the country and do it all
over.
“I don’t mind it. I chose to do
it so I could offer something
most attorneys cannot.” Gichn-
er said. “I want local clients
with cross-national opportuni-
ties. I’d like to give my clients
access to people and markets
they otherwise wouldn’t have.
Now we can offer that.”
Benchmark Legal opened of-
ficiallyinAugustofthisyear.So
far the firm is in the black,
though Ben wouldn’t say much
more than that.
714Décorhasbeenopenfora
yearorso.They’resellingfurni-
ture and custom home décor lo-
cally and looking to expand into
a bigger space. Sean and Ben
have ideas for woodworking
classes, space rentals for
groups, and other activities that
bring entrepreneurs and com-
munities together.
“It’s important,” Gichner
said. “Invest in others. Even if
theydon’tinvestinyouback,it’s
oneofthosewaystoagoodlife.”
In Seattle, Gichner and Bam
will host events that bring com-
munities together. The Seattle
Public Library is one of the
Local lawyer walks into the bar, twice
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Ben Gichner
See LAWYER, Page 25
“Seattle has a thriving
tech industry, and I
want to be a part of it
by helping
entrepreneurs bring
their inventions and
intellectual property
to the market.”
BEN GICHNER

2. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015 | COASTAL DELAWARE DELAWAREBEACHES.COM | 25
The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber
of Commerce recently announced The Dough
Roller – now open on Rehoboth Avenue — is a
$1,000 “Frankendude” Sponsor of the Chamber’s
26th Annual Sea Witch Halloween & Fiddler’s
Festival.
The Chamber, as a nonprofit organization, has
reached out to its membership for additional
sponsorship of Chamber events including the Sea
Witch Halloween & Fiddlers’ Festival. The
growth of the Sea Witch Festival has required
new safety, security, and transportation needs,
pushing the event budget to over $100,000. The
festival’s mission is not to create profit for the
Chamber, but to produce an economic impact for
the business community by bringing visitation to
the resort area. Many non-profit and community
organizations such as the Sussex Family YMCA,
Rehoboth Beach Museum, Rehoboth Art League,
Cape Henlopen High School Band, Mariner Mid-
dle School, and many more benefit from the
event.
ItisthegenerosityofmemberslikeTheDough
Roller that enables the Chamber to continue to
produce quality activities that draw visitors to
theareaeachyear.TheChambergreatlyappreci-
ates their continued support.
For more information, call 302-227-6446 or vis-
it www.beach-fun.com.
Dough Roller becomes
‘Frankendude’ sponsor
SUBMITTED ARTICLE
SUBMITTED IMAGE
From left are Bill Gibbs and Carol Everhart, Chamber
president and CEO.
strangest places in the city, all
10 floors of which are open to
the public. At the end of this
year, they will be holding open
mics to give start-ups and en-
trepreneurs free access to a
panel of experts who will offer
them tips and advice about
starting and growing their
own businesses.
Cummings says he’ll keep
working with Gichner and
plans to hold a patented prod-
uctinthenextfewyears.Cum-
mings’s business is growing in
a few ways too, but he prefers
working on (and talking more
about) his designs and cre-
ations than dealing with the
details.
“I’d rather be working with
my hands than reading con-
tracts and mailing state fil-
ings,” Cummings said. “I’m
getting to do that now, and I’m
going to keep doing that. It
makes life easier and having
more time to make more lets
me sell more. That’s a good
thing.”
Working remotely hasn’t
made things difficult, either.
Cummings certainly isn’t
traveling thousands of miles
for legal meetings with the
firm.
“I’m probably not going to
Seattle anytime soon. Ben
comesbacktoDelawareevery
so often,” he said. “It’s not like
he’s just not around either. We
talk weekly on the phone and
by e-mail. I trust him and can
ask him anything. I’m not wor-
ried about it.”
Gichner is enjoying life in
Seattle. He represents Dela-
ware and Washington Clients
and travels back to Bethany
every few months to visit with
family, friends, and to meet
with clients in person.
“I don’t know what the fu-
ture will bring, but if we get to
stand with people like Sean
and help businesses like 714
(Decor), then I know what
comes next will be extraordi-
nary,” Gichner said. “It’s a
really exciting time to be an
entrepreneur.”
Youcanfindoutmoreabout
Gichner,hisfirm,andcongrat-
ulate him on passing his sec-
ond bar exam at www.
benchmark.legal.
Lawyer
Continued from Page 24