Given the shaky U.S. economy and its uncertain implications for legal work, qualified lateral candidates in Pennsylvania are waiting for offers that are more in line with long-term career goals before making a move to another firm, according to area legal recruiters.

Longtime Eastern District of Pennsylvania federal prosecutor Michael Lowe’s recent move to Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders is representative of the current environment, in which attorneys are prudent in choosing career transitions and law firms are focused on core practice areas.