Fung shui master Tony Chan Chun-chuen has contacted two top British barristers about his looming battle for the fortune of Asia's richest woman, Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum.
Mr Chan's lawyer Jonathan Midgley is in London briefing Mark Herbert QC and Alan Steinfeld QC on his client's claim to the fortune estimated at up to HK$100 billion.
The will, allegedly made in October last year, is contested by Wang's family through the Chinachem Charitable Foundation. It claims to have a 2002 will leaving everything to the foundation. Wang Din-shin, 96, Nina Wang's father-in-law, has not revealed his claim.
The foundation names the UN secretary-general, the Chinese premier and the chief executive of Hong Kong as administrators, and makes provision for Wang's family. The London barristers charge considerable fees and, if the case is not settled before court, which both sides suggest is unlikely, it could run for years.
British legal guide Chambers and Partners calls Mr Steinfeld a 'star of the Bar' with 'exceptionally great mind and fizzing advocacy skills' as well as 'excellent instincts'. It said Mr Herbert was an 'Olympian figure' with 'marvellous advisory ability' and 'the barrister you need for difficult trust questions'.
A source on the case said Mr Chan's legal team was getting instructions in London 'to ensure we understand all the legal ramifications surrounding the matter ... but it's still a long way from court'.