Durham, N.C. — On the 40th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, the attorney who successfully argued the case will speak at Duke University, the school announced Monday.

On Feb. 25, lawyer, professor and women’s rights advocate Sarah Weddington will deliver the 2013 Jean Fox O’Barr Distinguished Lecture. The 7 p.m. event, to be held at Reynolds Theater in the Bryan Center, is free and open to the public. Tickets will be distributed at the door.

Weddington, who argued Roe at the age of 26, will discuss women and leadership. She believes women often have key leadership skills, yet few women hold high-profile leadership titles, according to the university's news release.

In 1972, Weddington became the first woman from Austin ever elected to the Texas House of Representatives. During her three-term tenure she helped reform the Texas rape statutes, passed an equal credit bill for women, a pregnancy leave bill for Texas teachers and blocked antiabortion legislation. She later served as general council for the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Jimmy Carter.

The author of “A Question of Choice,” Weddington has received much recognition for her work, including the 2006 International Athena Award, which is presented to individuals who have achieved professional excellence and who have assisted women in reaching their full potential, according to the university. In 2005, she began a three-year term on the Council for the American Bar Association's Section of Individual Rights and Freedoms.