On February 12, President Obama signed an Executive Order aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity of the nation’s critical infrastructure. The Executive Order, titled “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” focuses on increasing protection from cyber attacks by: (i) requiring federal agencies to share information about cyber threats with U.S. companies; and (ii) directing the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standard practices and procedures to effectively minimize the risk of cyber attacks. As the owners and operators of critical infrastructure, government contractors and others, will be affected by the implementation of this Executive Order.
Continue Reading Executive Order on Cybersecurity Impacts Government Contractors and Other Critical

On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed the “American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” into law. The Act imposes an income tax increase to 39.6% (from 35%) on U.S. taxpayers earning more than $400,000 ($450,000 for married couples filing jointly) and raises the estate tax rate to a maximum of 40% (from 35%). The federal income tax rate on long-term capital gains has been increased from 15% to 20% for the top income-earners beginning in 2013.
Continue Reading U.S. Fiscal Cliff Averted, or Simply Postponed?