"The lesson is that you never know in life whether something is going to work out to your advantage, even if it seems to be a terrible impediment."

So says Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in an interview with law.com.

The interview is fascinating for its look into the world of law school in the 1950s and how it had changed--and hadn't changed--by the time I attended at the turn of the century.

Ginsburg was one of only 9 women out of a class of 500 at Harvard Law School. By the time I went to law school (although not at Harvard!), women made up nearly 50 percent of the class.

Ginsburg and her female colleagues faced a variety of challenges (women's restrooms only in one building where they had classes) and insults (a professor asked Ginsburg, "Why are you taking a place that should have gone to a man?"). My law school had potty parity, but we frequently faced questions of the why-are-you-here variety, especially if you weren't planning to work 100 hours a week. Basically, the staff felt you were wasting their time if you wanted to have life outside law.

Ginsburg also talked about the challenges she faced gaining employment after law school. She wound up teaching law as opposed to working in a large firm, and feels it shaped her chances to balance work and family better.

I certainly lay no claim to such an illustrious path. I chose not to pursue a career in law largely because of the huge hours expected of first year lawyers at a time when my children needed more of my attention. As time has gone on, I've also realized that I don't like what most lawyers have to do to practice; that is, lie. Prevaracate. Stretch the truth.

I still fantasize about getting my bar card and hanging out my shingle, especially after reading articles on other women who faced worse struggles and made it. Who knows? It's still a possibility.