Thirty-one percent of lawyers plan to hire legal staff in the first quarter of 2012, but another 4 percent expect to cut staff, according to the a quarterly legal hiring survey by Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing firm.

Security Benefit Corp. is partnering with Mesirow Financial to launch a new 401(k) product with fiduciary protection.

MassMutuals Retirement Services Division has launched a new fund, called the MassMutual Barings Dynamic Allocation Fund. The fund features portfolio management by MassMutual affiliate Baring International Investment Limited.

Twenty percent of chief financial officers expect to hire full-time accounting and finance employees in the first quarter in the first quarter while 11 percent plan to reduce staff, according to the recent Robert Half Financial Hiring Index.