Judge Donofrio was first elected to the Monroe County Family Court Bench in November 1998 and re-elected in 2008. Designated for appointment by Chief Administrative Judge Pfau in March, 2011, Judge Donofrio currently serves as the Supervising Judge of the Family Courts for the Seventh Judicial District and as an Acting Supreme Court Justice. In her capacity as Supervising Judge, she oversees Family Court operations in Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Steuben and Cayuga counties.

As a Family Court Judge, she maintains a large caseload, addressing complex issues, including child sexual and physical abuse and neglect, domestic violence, custody and visitation, adoptions, child support, juvenile delinquency and P.I.N.S. (persons in need of supervision). In her role as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, she has presided over criminal and civil cases and Jury trials. She served as Acting Surrogate, where she presided over estate matters and disputes. She also presided over the Integrated Domestic Violence Court.

Judge Donofrio's background as an attorney in private practice included civil litigation in State and Federal Courts in cases involving negligence, severe brain injury, medical malpractice, products liability, contract disputes, discrimination and labor and employment law. She also served as a member of the Pittsford Town Board where she regularly met with community members and groups to advance open and responsive town government.

Judge Donofrio has served as an instructor for mandated continuing legal education for lawyers for the New York State Bar Association. She served as Dean of the Monroe County Bar Association's Academy of Law, which oversees the continuing legal education programming provided by the bar association. Judge Donofrio has served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, serves on the Office of Court Administration Gender Fairness Committee and acted as the Seventh Judicial Liaison to the New York State Unified Court System Parent Education and Awareness Program Committee. She was a longtime Board Member of the former Main West Attorneys at Law, Inc., a law firm which provided legal services to the working poor.

Judge Donofrio has been an instructor for the Assisting Children through Transition (ACT) program which is designed to educate parents as to the effects of divorce or separation on their children. She has volunteered for numerous community projects and was a member of the Pittsford Library Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors for the Pittsford Library Foundation, and as a youth group coordinator for the St. Louis Church Pittsford Food Cupboard Project.

Judge Donofrio was honored with the Hanna S. Cohn Mentoring Award by the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys and with the distinction of Woman of the Year in Government by the Italian American Community Center.

The Judge attended Saint John Fisher College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English, Magna Cum Laude. She went on to the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, where she received her Juris Doctor Degree and was admitted to practice in New York State Court and in the United States District Court, Western District of New York. She and her husband, Roger DaGama have three children. The family resides in Pittsford, NY.

Information about Judge Gail A. Donofrio is also available on the Judicial Directory.