I was disappointed to read Michael Loveridge’s response to my comments about executors potentially being liable to beneficiaries for losses caused by delay (see [2009] Gazette, 2 July, 10). I hope he will not carry through his suggestion of advising his clients against making charitable bequests.

Sometimes a loss can arise because of negligence or a breach of duty by the executor. If this happens, and particularly if the executor is acting professionally and has charged a significant fee, surely it would be surprising (not to mention a potential breach of its own legal duties) if the charity took no action to recover such losses. In my experience, charities do not expect anything more than their proper entitlement, but it seems harsh to force them to accept less.

Peter Steer, Wilsons, Salisbury