The University of Maryland School of Law has announced a $30 million gift from the New York City-based W.P. Carey Foundation.

The largest gift in school history will be used to strengthen its programs — with a special emphasis on faculty support — and bolster its endowment. In recognition of the gift, the school will be renamed the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, after W.P. Carey's grandfather, who graduated from the law school in 1880 and co-founded DLA Piper (formerly Carey, Piper, and Hall), a global law firm.

In addition to the gift, the university hopes to raise an additional $15 million for the School of Law, which celebrates its two hundredth anniversary next year. The school is the third oldest law school in the country and one of the only law schools to have international clinics located on site in-country.

"This extraordinary gift will support the school's dedication to providing a world class education," said School of Law dean Phoebe A. Haddon. "Our program has a rising national reputation for excellence and it is our hope that this gift will engage and strengthen the School of Law and the University System of Maryland overall as we continue to graduate the best and brightest students."