Albert Lea lawyer Matt Benda is being recognized nationally on airport television in the busiest airports across America throughout the month of November.

Selected by “America’s Premier Lawyer” for the national recognition, Benda is also being featured on American Airlines Radio, which airs on more than 40,000 American Airlines flights.

Benda, a southern Minnesota native, is a lawyer with Peterson, Savelkoul & Benda in Albert Lea. He graduated in 1996 from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, and from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in 1992.

According to a press release, lawyers are selected for the recognition through a nationwide search utilizing peer review organizations, independent research and interviews with top leaders in their fields.

Benda said he received an inquiry from the group, out of California, letting him know that the opportunity was available to him. At first he was somewhat skeptical, but decided to keep an open mind.

“This series gives me the opportunity to promote my profession and my community at a national level,” he said. “I think they were looking for someone from the Midwest to profile the profession outside of a big city atmosphere.”

His interviews focus on his role as an advocate for his community and his clients.

He said he completed the TV segment at the end of July when a videographer came to town and filmed him at the Freeborn County Courthouse, and the radio interview was done in mid-August.

The television segment is shown as part of the feed shown on televisions at the airports, as part of the CNN Airport Network. Passengers have the option of listening to the radio interview while on flight.

“I like to think of myself as a community advocate,” Benda said in the television segment. “Whether it’s the Albert Lea community, the farm community or the business community, my role is to bring different talents together to elevate their objectives. It’s important to be more than a lawyer. To best serve your client, you have to be immersed with them in their community.”

He said he looked at the recognition as an opportunity to put a positive face on his profession, and to also promote Albert Lea and the small town way of life.

“I found that when working with farmers and businesses and families, it’s important to be more than just a lawyer,” he said in the television segment. “I immerse myself in the community. I learn their problems and I help them find not just a solution, but the best solution.”