Judge Slade grew up in Northbrook.  He attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a member of the Barkley Forum, was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa, and in 1996 earned a B.A. with High Honors in Political Science.  Judge Slade then attended Harvard Law School, where he received a J.D. with Honors in 1999.

Following law school, Judge Slade served as a law clerk for Hon. Emilio M. Garza of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in San Antonio, Texas.  In 2000, he joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago, where he practiced for 24 years, 19 as a partner.  While at Kirkland, Judge Slade had a broad commercial and appellate practice, focusing on products liability, employment, and restructuring-related matters across the country.  Judge Slade also taught seminars as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School and had an active pro bono practice in which he, among other things, accepted appointments representing individual criminal defendants in their criminal cases.

Judge Slade previously served on the Board of Directors for CARPLS (the Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services), Cook County’s largest legal aid provider, for ten years, including two as President. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Chicago Bar Foundation and Thrive Scholars.