Acting as the Estate Trustee of a loved one’s estate can be an onerous and thankless job. Most Estate Trustees will be quick to add that often times it’s not an honour but a burden. It comes with a great deal of responsibility, consumes much of your time and can expose you to liability. Where you are named as the Estate Trustee, it is important that you fully understand your exit strategy at the outset should you ever wish to resign from the role.Unfortunately, resigning as the Estate Trustee isn’t as simple as one would hope. The procedure to resign depends on two factors: (1) what steps you have taken as Estate Trustee, if any, and (2) the terms of the Will.If the Estate Trustee has not begun to act, then the Estate Trustee can simply sign a renunciation form. If, however, the Estate Trustee has begun to act, then the Will is always your starting point. The Will may set out the procedure to resign. Most Wills, however, fail to set out the method for the named Estate Trustee to resign. If that is the case, we have no choice but to examine the steps you have taken as the named estate trustee, if any, to determine whether a court application is necessary in order to resign from the role.