Sheriff Principal Wade KC

Gillian Anne Wade KC graduated from the University of Glasgow (LLB Hons) in 1987 and was admitted as a solicitor in 1989. She qualified in English law and became a partner in firms in Glasgow and London with a particular interest in media law and defamation. She was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1998 practising in civil law and appearing in the Outer and Inner House of the Court of Session and the House of Lords. She was appointed as Legal Convenor of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland in 2004. In 2008 she was appointed as a full time Advocate Depute and served as a Senior Advocate depute from 2011 until 2014, during which time she conducted a number of high profile criminal appeals and prosecutions. During this time she was appointed head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit. She took silk in 2013. In 2015 she became a full time sheriff in Tayside Central and Fife and was a resident sheriff in Perth from 2016 to 2023. In 2018 she was appointed as a part time judge of the Court of Session and regularly presided over High Court trials. In 2022 she was appointed to the Sheriff Appeal Court. She was previously a designated commercial sheriff and held positions as Chair, Relationships Scotland Tayside and Fife, a third sector charity supporting families in conflict; Sheriff member, Criminal Courts Rules Council, and Vice President of the Sheriffs and Summary Sheriffs Association. In January 2023 she was appointed Sheriff Principal of Tayside, Central and Fife and took up her position on the retirement of Sheriff Principal Lewis on 1^st August 2023. She is now also a Commissioner of the Northern Lighthouse Board.