Forty years after graduating from Yale Law School, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton LAW ’73 will receive an Award of Merit from the school’s Alumni Association at this year’s alumni weekend in October.

The annual award honors either a distinguished alumnus or a professor who has been a full-time faculty member for at least 10 years. Clinton will receive the award for her “extraordinary contribution to the legal profession,” according to the school’s website.

Earlier this summer, the American Bar Association announced that it would honor Clinton with the ABA medal — the organization’s highest honor — at its annual meeting in August, recognizing Clinton for her accomplishments as a lawyer and human rights activist.

Before entering public service, Clinton served as a counsel on the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives during the Watergate investigation. As an attorney in private practice, she engaged in pro bono child advocacy, eventually becoming her firm’s first full female partner.

Clinton will address alumni weekend attendees on Oct. 5 at 3:45 p.m. in Woolsey Hall.