(804) 343-4089
                                                                        2994.012

                                January 22, 1998

F&M National Corporation
P. O. Box 2800
Winchester, Virginia 22604

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         We have acted as counsel to F&M National Corporation, a Virginia
corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the preparation of the
Registration Statement on Form S-4 of the Company (the "Registration Statement")
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"), relating
to the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), of a maximum of 795,202 shares (the "Shares") of the
Company's common stock, par value $2.00 per share, issuable pursuant to the
Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of December 1, 1997, by and among
the Company, F&M Bank-Richmond and Peoples Bank of Virginia ("PBV"), and the
related Plan of Merger (collectively, the "Agreement"), whereby each share of
PBV common stock, par value $10.00 per share ("PBV Common Stock"), will be
exchanged for shares of Company common stock pursuant to the terms set forth in
the Agreement.

         In connection with this opinion, we have considered such questions of
law as we have deemed necessary as a basis for the opinions set forth below, and
we have examined and are familiar with originals or copies, certified or
otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following: (i) the Registration
Statement; (ii) the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws of the Company, as
amended and as currently in effect; (iii) certain resolutions of the Board of
Directors of the Company relating to the issuance of the Shares and the other
transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement; (iv) the Agreement; and
(v) such other documents as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis
for the opinion set forth below. In our examination, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us
as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to
us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of
such copies. As to any facts material to this opinion that we did not
independently establish or verify, we have relied upon statements and
representations of officers and other representatives of the Company and others.

         Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that if and when issued
in exchange for shares of PBV Common Stock pursuant to the terms of the
Agreement and under the circumstances contemplated by the Registration
Statement, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

         The law covered by the opinion set forth above is limited to the laws
of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the federal law of the United States of
America.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as
Exhibit 5 to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under
the caption "Legal Matters" in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus constituting a
part of the Registration Statement.

                                   Sincerely,

                                  LECLAIR RYAN

                                  A Professional Corporation

                                  By: /s/George P. Whitley
                                      -----------------------------------------
                                  George P. Whitley
                                  Vice President

GPW/lsr