The American Bar Association (ABA) has pledged to overturn its own ban on lawyers whistle-blowing on clients as part of a package of post-Enron reforms to its professional conduct rules.

The controversial move, which would require a relaxation of legal privilege, is the key recommendation produced by the ABA’s corporate responsibility taskforce, which was set up last year to review its policy on corporate governance in the wake of the collapse of US energy giant Enron.