Struggling retail chains shopping for law lawyers in what might well become the year of the retail bankruptcy saw several of their ailing brethren dip into the Big Law ranks this month for a trio of Chapter 11 cases.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a firm not known for advising debtors in bankruptcy court, appears to have a role in one such case. The New York-based firm was named in a July 5 press release issued by designer denim purveyor True Religion Apparel Inc. announcing its agreement with lenders on a prepackaged bankruptcy proceeding.

The deal, which will see the upscale jeans maker reduce its debt load to $535 million and close at least 27 underperforming stores, resulted in True Religion's Chapter 11 filing in Delaware on July 5, the same day that Wachtell and national bankruptcy boutique Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones were touted by the Manhattan Beach, California-based company for their roles advising on its restructuring.