As the United States heads into its ninth year of uninterrupted economic expansion, a familiar word is making a resurgence in public discourse: Recession.

With an inverted bond curve, a global wave of protectionism, interest rate hikes and, in South Florida, a condo market slowdown, the signs of a downturn are out there. The questions for economists and law firm leaders are when will it come and how bad will it hit South Florida.