The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland Law in the Baltimore-Washington legal and business community. Founded in 1816, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. Maryland Law was ranked 47th by the U.S. News & World Report in its 2023 law school rankings. The law school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). It is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and has a chapter of the Order of the Coif honor society. History Maryland Law was founded in 1816 as the Maryland Law Institute. David Hoffman is credited with founding the institute and in 1817 he published his legal course Hoffman's Course of Legal Study. The school began regular instruction beginning in 1824, and it is the second-oldest law school in the United States, behind only William & Mary Law School. After the law school denied admission to black applicant Donald Gaines Murray on account of his race, in 1936 the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the law school must admit him. In 2002, the law school moved into a facility in downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In 2011, the law school received a donation from the W.P. Carey Foundation, the largest gift in the school's history. In response, the law school changed its name to the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Student body Maryland Law has approximately 650 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. The racial makeup of students in the J.D. program is approximately , with about 30% identifying as a minority race (and the remainder are unknown or did not specify). Around 72% of J.D. students are under 25 years old. There are more than 40 student organizations, four specialized legal centers, and five law journals. In 2019, Maryland Law enrolled 205 students into its first-year J.D. class, including 179 full-time students and 26 part-time students. The median LSAT score was 160, and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.66. The law school accepted approximately 36% of its applicants. Rankings The law school was ranked 36th by the U.S. News & World Report in 2008 and 50th of its law school