Fireside Chat with Maggie Bassani

February 17, 2025

Maggie Bassani

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF - Keep Calm and Carry On!!

Meet Helen Parr (a.k.a. Elasti Girl from the Incredibles) – a dedicated working mom who, like many of us, finds herself balancing the whirlwind of daily responsibilities. Professionally, she’s a superhero with incredible flexibility and stretchiness, using her abilities to fight crime and protect the city. Whether she’s saving the world from supervillains or ensuring her family runs smoothly, Helen exemplifies extraordinary multitasking, problem-solving, and resilience.

One particularly hectic evening, Helen came home to find her youngest son, Jack-Jack, eagerly waiting with a stack of books. His eyes sparkled with anticipation for their nightly reading ritual. Overwhelmed by the day's stresses, Helen almost brushed off the invitation in favor of tackling her never-ending tasks before bed.

In that moment, Helen recalled the wise words from our spectacular Equilawbrium Fireside Chat guest: ”Don't sweat the small stuff.”  She took a deep breath, set aside her to-do list, and sat down with Jack-Jack. As they dove into whimsical tales and imaginative adventures, Helen realized that these moments of connection were what truly mattered. The laughter they shared and the bond they strengthened became the highlight of her day.

Did this story strike a chord with you? Just like Elasti Girl, many working parents find themselves stretching and adapting to balance their professional and personal lives. It's these small, meaningful moments with loved ones that make life truly rich.

Please join me in welcoming our inspiring guest, Maggie Bassani, who reminds us that amidst the chaos of life, we should be kind to ourselves and that it's the quality time we spend with our families by being present and engaged that truly counts.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Part 1 - Introduction

Hi, my name is... Maggie Bassani.

• Year of call to the Bar: 2012

• Type of practice, your role, and where: Partner, Municipal at Aird & Berlis LLP

• How many children do you have? Three kids – daughter (8) and twin boys (6)

• What do you do for self-care or stress relief? Yoga 2-3 times a week

• What would you do for work if you weren’t in the legal profession? Interior designer

Part 2 - The first “Dual 10” Challenge: within the first 10 years post-license

Equilawbrium: Did you have a master plan for your career path? What was the driving force behind your career decisions? What are the important things to consider as you are figuring out your career path?

Maggie: I did my undergraduate studies in land use planning as I was fascinated by how our cities and communities are planned and developed. I only started to consider law as a career path after taking a mandatory planning law course in my undergrad and doing a few of the practice LSATs. I was one of the few students that went to law school knowing exactly what I kind of law I wanted to practice—I’m fortunate that it all worked out!

I continue to enjoy what I do because I get to engage in a subject matter that fascinates me.  

Equilawbrium: Please list one soft skill that contributed to where are you now and suggestions on how to cultivate it.

Maggie: Emotional intelligence—it helps me to not only connect with my clients but be a better negotiator for my clients.

Equilawbrium: Please list one hard skill that contributed to where are you now and suggestions on how to cultivate it.

Maggie: Though not a prerequisite, having an educational and technical background in land use planning certainly made my journey easier. It is important to understand the business of the industry that you service – take the opportunity to learn as much as you can by reading industry newsletters, attending conferences, networking etc.  

Part 3 - The second “Dual 10” Challenge: have kids in their first 10 formative years

Equilawbrium: How did you juggle work/life responsibilities? Is it possible to have a family life and a work life simultaneously and harmoniously?

Maggie: Yes—it is absolutely possible to juggle both (emphasis on “juggle”!) and, fortunately, my husband and our nanny provide additional support to help make it work. Still, work and family responsibilities will each compete for your attention on a daily basis. However, I do my very best to show up for my kids’ games/competitions and various activities—it may mean that I am working on my laptop while waiting for my kids to finish practice or working into the evenings and occasional weekends if it frees up other time during the week.  

Equilawbrium: Having walked the walk, what is the one parenting tip or trick that you wish you’d known?

Maggie: Don’t sweat the small stuff! For example, I used to stress over things like whether my kids ate their vegetables at dinner. Now, I try to look at the big picture—whether their diets are well balanced through the course of the week, rather than at individual meals. I still encourage them, of course, but I don’t stress or get upset about it anymore.  

Equilawbrium: What is your fondest memory of your kids at this age?

Maggie: Being on the sidelines cheering my kids on at their games/competitions.

Part 4 - Achieving Equilawbrium: how to survive & rise from the “Dual 10” Challenges

"Be kind to yourself and trust that you’re making the right decisions along the way for you, your family, and your career." – Maggie Bassani

Equilawbrium: What was your biggest challenge going through the Dual 10 phase? Any advice for our readers who are living and breathing this phase and trying to survive and excel?

Maggie: My biggest challenge is when I became a partner at a new firm coming off my maternity leave with my twins and was managing a very busy practice.

My main piece of advice is to build a support system. That could mean your spouse/partner, having nanny or occasional babysitter, or grandparents to help with childcare and shuttling kids around to and from activities, but also a support system of people at work. I am fortunate to work at a firm where I am surrounded by incredibly supportive colleagues, many of whom also have young families.

Equilawbrium: What is your take-home message for our readers who are trying to find their “equilawbrium”?

Maggie: Let go of the feelings of guilt—whether you feel guilty about not spending enough time with your family and friends or whether you feel guilty that you’re not putting in more time in building your practice.  Be kind to yourself and trust that you’re making the right decisions along the way for you, your family, and your career.

Equilawbrium: What is the one-word encouragement/support that you would want us to remember?

Maggie: Confidence.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Keep Calm and Carry On!

<<End of Fireside Chat with Maggie Bassani>>

**A MILLION THANKS TO MAGGIE!!**

<<Maggie's Biography>>

Maggie is pragmatic in her approach to facilitating municipal and land use planning approvals. She has extensive experience advising private sector clients in all aspects of the development process in the Greater Toronto Area and throughout Ontario, which allows her to offer valuable insight and practical experience to help clients resolve issues and advance their development plans.

Maggie is a member of the firm’s Municipal & Land Use Planning Group. She represents sophisticated Canadian and international developers with complex, high-profile mixed use projects. Maggie’s expertise lies in supporting clients through the lifecycle of a project, from the application and development process through consultation with various city departments and stakeholders to representation before municipal authorities and administrative tribunals. She has particular expertise in the preparation and processing of development applications, including official plan and zoning by-law amendments, consents to sever lands, plans of subdivision, minor variances and site plan approvals. Maggie’s practical experience is bolstered by her academic background in land use planning.

Maggie has a well-earned reputation in Toronto’s development community as a tireless advocate and project manager. Her extensive experience working on Toronto-based projects ensures that she can guide clients through all stages of the City’s complex policy and regulatory regime. She is adept at managing the many moving pieces of a project and coordinating other project consultants to deliver a successful outcome. Maggie is committed to capacity building, and adds value by keeping her clients informed of land use planning issues and updates that affect them.

Maggie is an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School where she has taught the Land Use Planning Law course. She was a long-standing member of the firm’s Student Recruitment Committee, prior to her current role on the Associates Committee, and often acts as a mentor for summer and articling students.

Disclaimer: Any views, information, and personal opinions expressed by the authors or guests are entirely their own and do not reflect or represent those of their employers or clients.