Exhibit 5.1







                                   June 29, 2001


VTEL Corporation
108 Wild Basin Road
Austin, Texas 78746

         Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-8

Gentlemen:

         We have acted as counsel to VTEL  Corporation,  a Delaware  corporation
(the  "Corporation"),  in connection  with the  preparation of the  Registration
Statement  on Form  S-8 (the  "Registration  Statement")  to be  filed  with the
Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  on or about  June  29,  2001,  under  the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities  Act"),  relating to 500,000
shares  and  100,000  shares of the $.01 par value  common  stock  (the  "Common
Stock") of the Corporation that may be offered through the VTEL Corporation 1992
Director  Stock Option Plan and the VTEL  Corporation  Employee  Stock  Purchase
Plan, respectively (the "Plans").

         You have  requested  the  opinion of this firm with  respect to certain
legal  aspects  of the  proposed  offering.  In  connection  therewith,  we have
examined and relied upon the original, or copies identified to our satisfaction,
of (1) the Certificate of Incorporation  and the Bylaws of the  Corporation,  as
amended; (2) minutes and records of the corporate proceedings of the Corporation
with  respect to the  establishment  of the Plans,  the  reservation  of 600,000
shares  of  Common  Stock  to be  issued  under  the  Plans  and  to  which  the
Registration  Statement relates, the issuance of shares of Common Stock pursuant
to the Plans and related matters;  (3) the  Registration  Statement and exhibits
thereto, including the Plans; and (4) such other documents and instruments as we
have deemed  necessary for the expression of the opinions herein  contained.  In
making the  foregoing  examinations,  we have  assumed  the  genuineness  of all
signatures and the  authenticity of all documents  submitted to us as originals,
and the  conformity to original  documents of all  documents  submitted to us as
certified or  photostatic  copies.  As to various  questions of fact material to
this  opinion,   and  as  to  the  content  and  form  of  the   Certificate  of
Incorporation,  the Bylaws, minutes, records, resolutions and other documents or
writings of the  Corporation,  we have relied,  to the extent we deem reasonably
appropriate,  upon  representations  or certificates of officers or directors of
the Corporation and upon documents,  records and instruments  furnished to us by
the Corporation, without independent check or verification of their accuracy.






         Based upon our examination and  consideration  of, and reliance on, the
documents  and other  matters  described  above,  we are of the opinion that the
Corporation  presently has available at least 600,000  shares of authorized  but
unissued  shares of Common Stock and/or  treasury  shares of Common Stock.  From
these shares of Common  Stock,  the shares of Common  Stock  proposed to be sold
through  the Plans may be issued.  Assuming  that:  (i) shares to be sold in the
future through the Plans are all in accordance with the terms of the Plans, (ii)
the  shares  of  Common  Stock to be issued  in the  future  are duly  issued in
accordance  with the terms of the  Plans,  (iii) the  Corporation  maintains  an
adequate  number of authorized  but unissued  shares and/or  treasury  shares of
Common Stock available for issuance to those persons who purchase shares through
the Plans, and (iv) the consideration for shares of Common Stock issued pursuant
to the Plans is actually  received by the  Corporation  as provided in the Plans
and exceeds the par value of such shares, then the shares of Common Stock issued
in accordance with the terms of the Plans or sold through and in accordance with
the  terms  of the  Plans  will be duly  and  validly  issued,  fully  paid  and
nonassessable.

         We hereby  consent to the  filing of this  opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration  Statement and to references to our firm included in or made a part
of the Registration  Statement.  In giving this consent, we do not admit that we
come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of
the Securities  Act or the Rules and  Regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission thereunder.

                                   Very truly yours,

                                   JENKENS & GILCHRIST,
                                   a Professional Corporation

                                   By: /s/ L. Steven Leshin
                                      -------------------------------
                                      L. Steven Leshin