Lest there be doubts that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is taking seriously the allegations of widespread bribery in its Mexico subsidiary, this week the retailing giant announced a shake-up of its in-house legal function with a clear focus on compliance.

According to a Reuters report on Wal-Mart’s plans, “starting on Dec. 1 its compliance, ethics, investigations, and legal units will become one organization,” which will be led by general counsel and executive vice president Jeff Gearhart.