Exhibit 5


                               Hale and Dorr LLP
                               Counsellors at Law
                  60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
                        617-526-6000 * FAX 617-526-5000


                                 July 30, 1998


Avid Technology, Inc.
Metropolitan Technology Park
One Park West
Tewksbury, MA 01876

   Re:    Registration Statement on Form S-8
          ----------------------------------

Ladies and Gentlemen:

   This opinion is furnished to you in connection with a Registration Statement
on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement") filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Securities Act"), for the registration of 500,000 shares of Common
Stock, $.01 par value per share (the "Shares"), of Avid Technology, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"), issuable under the Company's 1996 Employee
Stock Purchase (the "Plan").

   We have examined the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Company,
each as amended and restated to date, and originals, or copies certified to our
satisfaction, of all pertinent records of the meetings of the directors and
stockholders of the Company, the Registration Statement and such other documents
relating to the Company as we have deemed material for the purposes of this
opinion.

   In examination of the foregoing documents, 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 copies,
the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents and the legal
competence of all signatories to such documents.

   We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction
other than the state laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Delaware
General Corporation Law statute and the federal laws of the United States of
America.

   Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the
Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and the Shares, when issued and
paid for in 

 
Avid Technology, Inc.
July 30, 1998
Page 2

accordance with the terms of the Plan, will be validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable.

   It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection with the
offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect.

   Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth
herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters.

   We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of
Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.  In giving such
consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose
consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and
regulations of the Commission.

                         Very truly yours,

                         /s/Hale and Dorr LLP

                         HALE AND DORR LLP