In Frank Donahue's 30 years as a matrimonial attorney, he has built a strong reputation and played a central role in the formulation of the state's laws governing divorce. He has served as lead attorney or second chair in no fewer than 17 major cases that have influenced family law. Among other major cases, he was lead attorney in the celebrated "Baby M" case of 1987, in which the court ruled on the validity and enforceability of surrogate parenting contracts. He also was involved in the 1988 divorce case of comedian Joe Piscopo, whose case led to the first state opinion in a divorce case on the so-called "good-will value" of being a celebrity. Donahue has also lectured extensively on matrimonial law with several organizations, including N.J. Trial Lawyers Association and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.