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2L here with a situation:

I have a summer offer from Firm A, a small firm (15-ish attorneys) that does super interesting work. It's unlikely to lead to a permanent offer since the firm is so small, but I understand they have connections with other small firms and will help me find something if they like me. Firm A stressed that they want me to make a decision quickly, since they only hire 1 person for the summer. And I don't want to piss them off, especially if I'm going to be depending on their recommendation.

I just had a callback at Firm B, which is a little bigger and much more likely to lead to a permanent offer. They are going to let me know within the next 2 weeks. I would prefer Firm B because of the permanent offer thing. But I don't know if Firm A can wait that long.

Is there any way to ask Firm A to wait a while without making it obvious they're not my first choice? Should I just not say anything until I've heard from Firm B? (I've already acknowledged and thanked Firm A for the offer but I didn't say anything about my timeline.)

I would be honest and tell Firm A that I'm concerned about the long-term chances of employment. I'd reiterate that I'm a 2L and have only one summer to find something that will lead to permanent employment. I would reassure them that I think the work would be interesting, but that I need a bit of time to think about it. They should understand. If they don't understand that a 2L in this market is worried about long-term prospects, then screw 'em.

Either way you're not going to cover up the likelihood that you're waiting on other options. They're probably not dumb. You don't have to say it explicitly, but they'll figure that's the issue anyway. That being said, they'll have to accept it (and they're probably expecting it) if they aren't willing to express an interest in bringing their SA on long-term.

Call up Firm B and press them for a response, saying that you have a competing offer that you are under the gun to accept or decline. That will speed them up.

I don't suggest asking Firm A for an extension. I think the short-deadline offer thing is part of their strategy to pressure students who could go to a bigger firm to accept their offer, so I think they're unlikely to grant an extension. It would also, as you point out, strain your relationship with them because they're now obviously second choice. It might even prompt them to rescind their offer and go to the next candidate. Just hold out on them until you either hear from firm B, or until they pester you to accept/decline.