EXHIBIT 5

                     [Letterhead of Gaeta & Glesener, P.A.]


                                  June 22, 2002


Board of Directors
Weststar Financial Services Corporation
79 Woodfin Place
Asheville, North Carolina 28801

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As counsel for Weststar Financial Services  Corporation (the "Company"),  we are
furnishing the following opinion in connection with the proposed issuance by the
Company  of up to  139,370  shares of its  common  stock,  $1.00 par value  (the
"Common Stock")  pursuant to the Weststar  Financial  Services  Corporation 2001
Incentive Stock Option Plan and the Weststar Financial Services Corporation 2001
Nonstatutory Stock Option Plan (collectively, the "Plans"). These securities are
the subject of a  Registration  Statement  to be filed by the  Company  with the
Securities and Exchange  Commission on Form S-8 (the  "Registration  Statement")
under the  Securities  Act of 1933,  as amended (the "1933 Act"),  to which this
opinion is to be attached as an exhibit.

We have examined the Articles of  Incorporation  and Bylaws of the Company,  the
minutes of meetings of its Board of Directors and such other  corporate  records
of the Company and other documents and have made such  examinations of law as we
have  deemed  relevant  for  the  purposes  of this  opinion.  Based  upon  such
examination and such  certificate,  it is our opinion that the 139,370 shares of
Common  Stock  of  the  Company  which  are  being  registered  pursuant  to the
Registration  Statement,  may be legally issued in accordance with the Company's
Articles  of  Incorporation  and Bylaws,  and when so issued and duly  delivered
against payment therefore pursuant to the Plans as described in the Registration
Statement,  such shares of Common Stock will be legally  issued,  fully paid and
nonassessable.

We  express  no  opinion  as to  matters  under  or  involving  the  laws of any
jurisdiction  other than the corporate law of the State of North  Carolina.  The
opinion  expressed  herein does not extend to compliance  with state and federal
securities laws relating to the sale of these securities.

We  hereby  consent  to  the  filing  of  this  opinion  as an  exhibit  to  the
Registration  Statement  that you are  about to file  with  the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission.  Such consent shall not be deemed to be an admission  that
this firm is within the  category of persons  whose  consent is  required  under
Section 7 of the 1933 Act or the  regulations  promulgated  pursuant to the 1933
Act.

                                             Yours very truly,


                                             GAETA & GLESENER, P.A


                                             /s/ Anthony Gaeta, Jr.
                                             ----------------------
                                        By:  Anthony Gaeta, Jr.