After receiving his law degree, Slade was a public defender in
St. Mary's County until 1974, when he became an Assistant State's Attorney, also for St. Mary's County. In 1986, he advanced to District Public Defender, District 4 for
Calvert,
Charles, and
St. Mary's Counties. In 1982, he was elected to the
Maryland House of Delegates in
District 29C. He served in District 29C until 1994. He then was elected to
District 29B in 1994 and served from 1995 to 2002. While a member of the House of Delegates, he was the chair of the Joint Audit Committee from 1995 until 1997 and chair of the St. Mary's County Delegation from 1995 until 1999. He then became a member of the District Court. Over his career, Judge Slade has won several awards including the Cross Bottany Award, the St. Mary's College of Maryland Alumni Award, the Outstanding Young Men of America Award and the Delegate of the Year, as awarded by the Maryland Association of Psychosocial Services. Finally, he is a foundation member of the Zeta Chapter of
Phi Beta Kappa at St. Mary's College. ==Election results==