Biography
Colin A. Drayton represents clients in a wide range of family law matters, including traditional divorce litigation, mediation, and post-judgment modifications of maintenance and child support orders. Colin has drafted and negotiated dozens of prenuptial agreements and post-nuptial agreements, and has several published works on this topic. Colin also has experience with family-law appellate cases, including drafting briefs in several family court matters to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Colin enjoys working with clients to understand his or her particular and unique legal needs, and tailoring a strategy toward achieving their goals. This includes doing a cost-benefit analysis to help clients make informed decisions.
In 2020-2022, Colin was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Wisconsin Super Lawyers, as published in Milwaukee Magazine.
Prior to joining Burbach & Stansbury, Colin clerked for Judge G. Michael Halfenger at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School cum laude. During law school, he gained valuable experience interning at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Office of Legal Counsel and interning at the Wisconsin Supreme Court for then-Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. While in law school, he also served as an Articles Editor for the Wisconsin Law Review.
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Membership & Leadership Positions
- State Bar of Wisconsin Family Law Section, Member
- Leander J. Foley Society of Family Lawyers, Member
- Association of Family Conciliation Courts, Member, Wisconsin Chapter, Member
- Waukesha Bar Association, Member
- Milwaukee Bar Association (past member)
Education
- University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, Wisconsin
- Juris Doctor
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: Awards for highest performance: Constitutional Law Seminar; Labor Law
- Honors: Elder Law and Estate Planning Society
- Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Bachelor of Arts
- Honors: summa cum laude
- Major: History with honors
Published Works
- Chapter: Carlton D. Stansbury and Colin A. Drayton, Wisconsin: Prenuptial Law published in Drafting Prenuptial Agreements, Skoloff, Singer, Jr. and Brown (Wolters Kluwer 1994; supp 2018).
- Article: “Not Empty Promises: Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Divorce Agreement Integrity,” 38 Wisconsin Journal of Family Law 73 (October 2021)
- Article: “Stimulate Your Value with Stimulus Language,” 38 Wisconsin Journal of Family Law 62 (July 2021).
- Article: Colin A. Drayton, Junion and the Enforceability of Prenuptial Agreements. 38 Wisconsin Journal of Family Law 6 (January 2021)
- Article: Colin A. Drayton, Crime Doesn’t Pay: The Impact of Criminal Acts During Divorce, 36 Wisconsin Journal of Family Law 89 (November 2019)
- Article: Carlton D. Stansbury & Colin A. Drayton, Increasing the Likelihood of Enforcing a Prenup, 33 American Journal of Family Law 221 (Spring 2019)
- Presentation co-author: “Divide All Stock Options If-As-When? Not So Fast”, prepared for the American Association of Matrimonial Law-Wisconsin Chapter October 24, 2020 meeting.
- Caselaw Update: Junion v. Junion, Appeal. No. 19-AF-844 (Court of Appeals, June 16, 2020)
- An Overview of “Parental Separation of Overnight Care of Young Children”, prepared for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Wisconsin Chapter, 2017 Annual Education Event, Milwaukee, March 2017.
Representative Cases
- Quartana v. Quartana, Appeal No. 20-AP-1168 (Court of Appeals 2021)
- Siech v. Schwab (Wisconsin Supreme Court, published opinion June 22, 2021)
- Bernhard v. Bernhard, Appeal No. 20-AP-194 (Court of Appeals, December 3, 2020)
- Siech v. Schwab, 2020 WI App. 40, Appeal No. 19-AP-1200 (Court of Appeals, May 5, 2020)
- Kearns v. Kearns, 2017 WI 83 (Wisconsin Supreme Court Petition for Review)
- Kearns v. Kearns, Appeal No. 16-AP-1407 (Court of Appeals, March 22, 2017)
Practice Areas
- Family Law
- Child Support
- Child Custody
- Divorce
- Property Division
- Paternity
- Alimony
- Prenuptial Agreements
Classes & Seminars
- Contributor to case studies, “Divorce Wisconsin Style: Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers,” Judges Panel, February 2020, February 2019, March/April 2021.
- Co-Presenter, Between Shirking and Earning Capacity: An Analysis of Caselaw, Wisconsin Judicial College, January 2018
Honors & Awards
- Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Wisconsin Super Lawyers, as published in Milwaukee Magazine, 2020 -2022
- Recognized as “Top 10 Under 40” for excellence in field of family law by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, 2022