It may be, according to this post in the Harvard Business Review Editor’s Blog. This article discusses the relationship between buyers and Chinese manufacturers, but also notes this:
Is the buyer likely to trust any vendor again? Not surprisingly, when HBR surveyed readers in January 2009, we found that more than one-fifth of 1,024 respondents admitted that their trust in suppliers had been shaken over the past 12 months. That relationship isn’t the only casualty; the June issue of HBR, online next week, will spotlight trust. As the articles will show, trust has drained away in almost every facet of business. (emphasis added)
Has the recession hurt the trust between law firms and their customers? Hard to imagine it hasn’t. While I doubt the HBR articles will address this specifically, I’ll be looking forward to seeing whether any of the articles shed some light on this relationship.