Bar unit reverses stand against private club bias

The American Bar Association reversed its stand that private clubs used for business should not discriminate against minorities and women.

The six-month-old proposal, just reversed, said any club that received 20 percent of its income from business entertainment deductions would not be allowed to exclude women and minorities from membership.

Meanwhile, conspicuous for its absence in the ABA meetings here was action on a hotly debated legal code change. It would have allowed lawyers to breach the confidentiality of clients in order to prevent crimes causing death or severe bodily harm. The issue will come up again early next year.