Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. Expands Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights Practice with the Addition of Diane E. Vuocolo and Kevin P. Ray
Hackensack, NJ (February 20, 2026) - Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. is pleased to announce that Diane E. Vuocolo and Kevin P. Ray have joined the firm as members of its Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights practice. Vuocolo joined the firm as partner effective January 2, 2026, while Ray joined the firm as counsel, effective January 7, 2026. Their arrivals continue the growth of the firm's Philadelphia office, which opened in March 2025.
“We are thrilled that Diane and Kevin decided to join us after having worked closely with several of our attorneys at prior firms,” said John W. Weiss, chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights practice. “Their well-established practice in workouts, distressed finance, and bankruptcy is an excellent complement to our existing capabilities and directly aligned with our clients’ needs. We are confident our clients will greatly benefit from the depth of experience, strategic insight, and collaborative approach Diane and Kevin bring in these areas and we look forward to working with them as members of our team.”
The Chambers-ranked Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights practice group at Pashman Stein regularly advises clients across the country in complex financial restructuring and bankruptcy-related transactions and litigation matters. The addition of Vuocolo and Ray expands Pashman Stein’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights practice group to 17 members, including five Chambers-ranked attorneys.
Diane E. Vuocolo
Ranked by Chambers and Partners, Vuocolo focuses her practice on business reorganization, corporate work-outs and restructurings, bankruptcy law, loan restructurings, loan documentation, receiverships, restructuring distressed debt situations, foreclosure litigation, and commercial litigation. She works with financial institutions as secured creditors, DIP lenders, leasing entities, creditors' committees, bankruptcy trustees, debtors, majority shareholders, guarantors, examiners, and trade creditors. Prior to joining Pashman Stein, Vuocolo worked at Ballard Spahr and Greenberg Traurig. Vuocolo is a member of the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania bars.
Vuocolo’s practice includes representing various types of clients at every stage of distressed credit situations, from the initial emergence of financial difficulties through enforcement, recovery, bankruptcy, and liquidation. Her practice ranges from guiding clients through loan restructurings when early signs of distress arise and negotiating forbearance agreements to stabilize troubled facilities, to implementing out‑of‑court dissolutions when liquidation of assets is warranted. When a party seeks bankruptcy protection, Vuocolo represents clients throughout the entire process, with a focus on maximizing recoveries and protecting collateral value. She provides strategic counsel on turnaround strategies, enforcement of rights and remedies, and the comparative risks and benefits of out‑of‑court resolutions versus judicial proceedings. Her practice includes advising on commercial Chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcy cases, as well as state court dissolution proceedings, out-of-court liquidations, and select matters under the Uniform Commercial Code relating to the enforcement of rights and remedies.
Vuocolo has held numerous prestigious positions throughout her career. She is a member of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, Lawyers' Advisory Committee to the Board of Bankruptcy Judges and member of the Rules and Chapter 11 Practice and Procedures to Lawyers Advisory Committee. She is a former Chair, New Jersey State Bar Association for the District of New Jersey Bankruptcy Law Section; former Co-Chair, Education Program, Bankruptcy Program for Third Circuit Judicial Conference; former Co-Chair of the Honorable William H. Gindin Bench Bar Conference; and a former member of the Merit Selection Committee for the Third Circuit – District Court of New Jersey to select bankruptcy judges.
In addition to being ranked by Chambers and Partners in Bankruptcy/Restructuring in its USA Guide for 17 years, Vuocolo is ranked in the 2025 and 2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law (Philadelphia).
Vuocolo received her J.D from Temple University, Beasley School of Law and her M.P.P and B.A. from Rutgers University.
Kevin P. Ray
With over 25 years of experience, Ray represents lenders and borrowers in commercial and corporate loan transactions. He also handles corporate reorganizations, museum and not-for-profit organization restructurings and reorganizations, debtor-in-possession and exit financings, debt restructurings, enforcement of creditors’ rights, insolvency matters, and negotiation of standstill and forbearance agreements. He works with financial institutions as secured creditors, DIP lenders, leasing entities, creditors’ committees, bankruptcy trustees, debtors, guarantors, examiners, and trade creditors. Ray is a member of the New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Kentucky bars and is ranked in the 2025 and 2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law (Philadelphia).
In addition, Ray has a thriving practice devoted to art and cultural heritage law. He advises art collectors, art galleries, museums, and cultural institutions in an array of transactions, including sale and purchase arrangements, consignments, art loan agreements, questions of title, provenance, and compliance with national and international law. He advises lenders and debtors on issues unique to art, antiquities, and other cultural property in a variety of lending and commercial transactions.
Prior to joining Pashman Stein, Ray worked at Ballard Spahr and Greenberg Traurig.
Before beginning his legal career, Ray was Head of Special Collections (rare books and manuscripts) at Washington University in St. Louis and was an instructor at the Washington University School of Art.
Ray received his J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law; his LL.M. in International Art & Cultural Heritage Law, DePaul University College of Law; his Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis; and his M.L.S, M.A., and B.A from University of Pittsburgh.