Even as it awaits a green light from the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board over proposals to recall nearly 600,000 affected diesel vehicles from its emissions scandal, Volkswagen is making moves.

The Wall Street Journal has learned that the embattled automaker has replaced its U.S. legal chief with an outside lawyer. Effective since this past Monday, David Detweiler, an attorney from the law firm Clifford Chance, replaced David Geanacopoulos as VW's chief legal counsel, as reported by the Journal.

Geanacopoulos, who was previously spearheading VW's legal and public affairs, will only focus on government relations from here on out, according to the Journal. Detweiler had previously consulted with VW, so he has a full understanding of the brand and its current position.

Volkswagen needed to do something in the U.S., considering the EPA and the California Air Resources Board rejected the company's proposal to fix 580,000 faulty diesel vehicles in the country last month.

That was followed by VW's second-largest shareholder giving the company a three-month deadline in late January to come clean about the origins of its emissions scandal and the automaker submitting a new plan to the EPA and CARB earlier this week to fix nearly 80,000 of the recalled 3.0-liter diesel vehicles affected in the U.S.

While the company awaits that green light from the EPA and CARB, it's bigger recall in Europe is already underway.

The sooner VW gets clearance, the sooner it can get out of the trudge from its emissions scandal and fully turn the page into the future.