EXHIBIT 5.1
                                                                         
                                LAW OFFICES         
                  SANDERS, BARNET, GOLDMAN, SIMONS & MOSK        
                         A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
                    1901 AVENUE OF THE STARS, SUITE 850
                       LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA  90067
                          TELEPHONE (310) 553-8011
                          TELECOPIER (310) 553-2435
                                                                         
                              December 23, 1996


The Board of Directors
HemaCare Corporation
4954 Van Nuys Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, California  91403

RE:  HemaCare Corporation
     Registration Statement on Form S-8

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We have represented HemaCare Corporation, a California corporation (the 
"Company"), as special securities counsel, in connection with the 
registration by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 
"Act"), of 750,000 shares (the "Shares") of its Common Stock, without par 
value (the "Common Stock"), pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-8 
(the "Registration Statement") to be filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (the "Commission") on or about December 23, 1996.  The Shares are 
issuable pursuant to restricted stock awards or upon the exercise of stock 
options, in either case granted under the HemaCare Corporation 1996 Stock 
Incentive Plan, as amended and restated through September 17, 1996 (the 
"Plan").

     As such counsel, we have considered such matters of law as we have 
deemed appropriate under the circumstances.  Additionally, we have examined 
originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, 
of such records, certificates, documents and other instruments, consulted 
with officers and other representatives of the Company and have obtained 
such representations with respect to such matters of fact as we have deemed 
necessary or advisable; however, we have not necessarily independently 
verified the content of factual statements made to us in connection therewith 
or the veracity of such representations.  We have assumed without independent 
verification or investigation (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the 
authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and (iii) the 
conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us 
as certified, conformed or photostatic copies.

     On the basis of the foregoing, we are of the opinion as of the date 
hereof that the Shares, when issued and sold upon the exercise of stock 
options pursuant to the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and 
nonassessable shares of Common Stock of the Company, and that the Shares, 
issued in connection with restricted stock awards pursuant to the Plan, upon 
the lapse of the applicable forfeiture restrictions imposed pursuant to the 
Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common 
Stock of the Company; provided, however, that in each case the grant or award
of stock options or restricted stock pursuant to the Plan is specifically 
approved by the Board of Directors of the Company without delegation to any 
committee of directors as required by the Bylaws of the Company.

     The law covered by the opinion set forth above is limited to the laws of 
the State of California.

     We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the 
Registration Statement.  In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are 
in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the 
Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

                              Very truly yours,


                              /s/ Sanders, Barnet, Goldman, Simons & Mosk
                              -------------------------------------------
                              SANDERS, BARNET, GOLDMAN, SIMONS &
                              MOSK, A Professional Corporation