 Although his mother pawned her wedding ring to help pay for his tuition, Thurgood Marshall earned his law degree from Howard University with an LLB magna cum laude. Following graduation, he opened his own law office and began his association with the NAACP, eventually being named their chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. While serving as their chief counsel, Marshall argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court, 29 of which he won.