Utahns Tom and Ryan McLelland, father and son, on Sunday graduated together Sunday with law degrees from Ohio Northern University, a small liberal arts Methodist-affiliated college in the town of Ada. Tom lived in West Jordan and Ryan was a student at the University of Utah until he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 2005. On Friday, they spoke about their decision to go to law school and to pursue futures in law. "It's something we've talked about for the last five years," said Tom, who holds a master's in public administration from the U. and has worked as a human resources manager for the Department of Corrections. "I am really proud of Ryan and what he's done. I'm looking forward to going through [graduation] as a graduate and as a parent of a graduate." Ryan said his father had been encouraging him to move onto to law school while he was an undergraduate. So when he signed up for the LSAT exam, Tom did too. They learned about ONU's Pettit College of Law during recruitment events at the U. "We took almost every class together. We could help each other a lot better," Ryan said. Tom is interested in practicing labor and employment law, while Ryan, a father of three himself, is interested in family law. They plan to return to Utah and maybe open a practice together. "That's a little scary to start a new career at my age," said Tom, 58. "I'm a little nervous. I'm looking forward to a new challenge in life. " - Brian Maffly