[Jenkens & Gilchrist Letterhead]


                                September 7, 2000



Swift Energy Company
16825 Northchase Dr., Suite 400
Houston, Texas 77069

         Re:      Swift Energy Company - Registration Statement on Form S-8
                  covering 1,660,548 shares of common stock

Gentlemen:

         We have acted as securities  counsel to Swift Energy  Company,  a Texas
corporation   (the   "Company"),   in  connection  with  the  preparation  of  a
Registration  Statement on Form S-8 (the  "Registration  Statement") to be filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Securities  Act"), on or about September 7, 2000,  relating to the
registration of a total of 1,660,548 shares of common stock (the "Common Stock")
of the Company  that may be issued by the Company  pursuant to employee  benefit
plans of the Company,  including (i) 1,214,404  shares of Common Stock  issuable
pursuant  to  the  Swift  Energy  Company  1990  Stock  Compensation  Plan  (the
"Compensation  Plan"),  (ii) 330,000 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to
the Swift Energy Company 1990 Nonqualified Stock Option Plan (the "Option Plan")
and (iii) 116,144 shares of Common Stock  issuable  pursuant to the Swift Energy
Company  Employee  Savings Plan (the  "401(k)  Plan"  which,  together  with the
Compensation Plan and the Option Plan, are the "Plans").

         You have  requested an opinion with respect to certain legal aspects of
the  filing.  In  connection  therewith,  we have  examined  and relied upon the
original,  or copies  identified  to our  satisfaction,  of (1) the  Articles of
Incorporation,  as amended,  and the Bylaws,  as amended,  of the  Company;  (2)
minutes and records of the corporate  proceedings of the Company with respect to
the  establishment  of the Plans,  the  issuance  of the 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 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  Articles of
Incorporation,  as  amended,  and the  Bylaws,  as  amended,  minutes,  records,
resolutions and other documents or writings of the Company,  we have relied,  to
the extent deemed reasonably  appropriate,  upon representations or certificates
of  officers  or  directors  of the  Company  and upon  documents,  records  and
instruments  furnished  to us by  the  Company,  without  independent  check  or
verification of their accuracy.

         Based  upon our  examination,  consideration  of, and  reliance  on the
documents and other matters described above, and assuming that:

          (1) outstanding  incentive or nonqualified  options to purchase Shares
("Options")  were duly granted,  and the Options to be granted in the future are
duly  granted,  in  accordance  with the terms of the  Compensation  Plan or the
Option Plan, as  applicable,  and the Shares to be sold and issued in the future
upon the exercise of Options or otherwise  will be issued and sold in accordance
with the terms of the Plans;

          (2) the  Company  maintains  an  adequate  number  of  authorized  but
unissued shares and/or  treasury shares  available for issuance to those persons
who purchase Shares pursuant to the Plans;

          (3) the  consideration  for the Shares issued pursuant to the Plans is
actually  received  by the  Company as provided in the Plans and exceeds the par
value of such Shares; and



          (4) the  board of  directors  of the  Company  authorizes  the  annual
issuance of shares of Common Stock to the 401(k) Plan;

we are of the  opinion  that the Shares  issued or sold in  accordance  with the
terms  of  the  Plans  will  be  duly  and  validly   issued,   fully  paid  and
nonassessable.

          The opinions  expressed herein are limited to the laws of the State of
Texas,  and the  federal  laws of the United  States of America and we assume no
responsibility as to the applicability  thereto,  or the effect thereon,  of the
laws of any other jurisdiction.

         We hereby  consent to the  filing of this  opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and to references to us 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.

                                          Respectfully submitted,

                                          Jenkens & Gilchrist
                                          A Professional Corporation


                                          By: /s/ Donald W. Brodsky
                                              Donald W. Brodsky
                                              Authorized Signatory