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                                                                       EXHIBIT 5

                            [ROPES & GRAY LETTERHEAD]


                                 April 9, 2001


PictureTel Corporation
100 Minutemen Road
Andover, MA 01810

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         This opinion is being furnished to you in connection with a
registration statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement") to be filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for the registration of 715,000 shares of
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (the "Shares"), of PictureTel
Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company").

         We have acted as counsel to the Company and are familiar with the
actions taken by the Company in connection with the Company's Robert Byrnes
Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement, Lewis Jaffe Non-Statutory Stock Option
Agreement, Curtis Stewart Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement and Dalton
Edgecomb Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement (collectively, the "Plans"). For
purposes of this opinion we have examined the Plans and such other documents as
we deemed appropriate.

         Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have
been duly authorized and when the Shares have been issued and sold and
consideration received therefor by the Company in accordance with the terms of
the Plans and the votes of the Board of Directors of the Company, they will be
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         We hereby consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement.

                                                     Very truly yours,

                                                     /s/ Ropes & Gray

                                                     Ropes & Gray

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