Maryland’s four public historically black colleges and universities are on the doorstep of a historic settlement that will provide $577 million to help the schools build unique, high-demand academic programs.

The deal, which is poised to get veto-proof sign off from the Maryland legislature in the coming weeks, comes after nearly a dozen years of pro bono legal work by Kirkland & Ellis and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law working on behalf of a group of the schools’ alumni. The outcome is all the more impressive when you consider that the state initially proposed spending about $50 million on marketing, campus multicultural centers and scholarships to settle the case and Republican Governor Larry Hogan made a “final offer” of $200 million in 2019. It’s also the only case of its kind undertaken without the backing of the U.S. Department of Justice.