A Philadelphia lawyer from Duane Morris is one of the newest knights of the Republic of Italy, a distinction he received for his legal work against the Republic of Argentina on behalf of Italian citizens.

Rudolph J. "Skip" Di Massa was made a Cavaliere of Italy on July 12 at the Italian consulate in Philadelphia. Di Massa is the chairman of Duane Morris' business reorganization and financial restructuring practice group. He received the honor along with six other Philadelphia-area residents at a ceremony with Consul General Andrea Canepari.

Di Massa said Canepari noted his recent work on behalf of more than 100 Italian citizens, who had invested in Argentine bonds years ago. When Argentina defaulted on billions of dollars of debt in 2001, many investors settled, taking just 30 cents on the dollar. But others, including Di Massa's clients, held out for more.

After a series of judgments in the sprawling bondholder litigation, Di Massa's clients spent about seven years trying to collect more than $100 million, he said. U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa for the Southern District of New York finally approved a settlement between the Italian investors and the Republic of Argentina just over a year ago. Around that time, Di Massa learned that he was up for consideration to be knighted, he said.

On July 6, just days before the ceremony, Griesa signed an order saying the settlement amount had been paid, and his judgment had been fully satisfied.

Di Massa's connection to Italy is far deeper than one case alone. His father, a lawyer, was born and raised in Italy, and his mother was a first-generation Italian American, he said. As a boy he spent his summers in Italy, at the house where his father was raised. When Di Massa started his own legal career, he had business in Italy from the beginning.

Di Massa also served as a mentor to Canepari, who will soon leave the city to serve as Italy's ambassador to the Dominican Republic, when Canepari was a student in the LL.M program at University of Pennsylvania Law School. Di Massa volunteers to mentor a foreign student each year, and usually is paired with an Italian student.

While Di Massa does not practice in Italian courts, about 20 to 25 percent of his work is with Italian clients, he estimated.

"With the firm of 700 lawyers we have, if there's an Italian-speaking client they'll call me," he said. "If I can't do it, I'll at least be the liaison."

He travels to Italy two or three times a year to meet with clients.