His career as a judge was short, but his sense of justice and grasp of principles and details, eminently fitted him for that position.

[2][3] He played county cricket for Herefordshire and Shropshire between 1881 and 1884,[4] and also excelled at lawn tennis, rowing and target shooting.

He made a reputation as a barrister and was appointed a crown prosecutor in 1891[2] and successfully prosecuted George Dean for attempted murder in a notorious case in 1895.

He was an energetic leader and a large number of acts were passed by his government dealing with among others, industrial disputes, neglected children, minimum wage, employers' liability, the liquor problem, and closer settlement.

The great Burrinjuck Dam for which the Carruthers government was responsible was started, and special care was taken that the consequent increase in the value of the land should be preserved for the people generally and not merely the landholders.

In November 1916 there was a split in the Labor party on the issue of conscription, with premier William Holman and 17 other pro-conscription Labor MPs were expelled from the party on the issue,[8] and formed a grand coalition with Liberal Reform, giving the coalition a majority in parliament, with Holman remaining Premier.

In December of that year Wade was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales at Sydney and took up his duties in March 1920.