EXHIBIT 5.1
                       [JENKENS & GILCHRIST LETTERHEAD]

                               September 8, 1997



VTEL Corporation
108 Wild Basin Road
Austin, Texas 78746

     Re:  Offering of Common Stock of VTEL Corporation on Form S-3

Gentlemen:

     We have acted as counsel to VTEL Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), in connection with the preparation of a Registration Statement on
Form S-3 (the "Registration Statement") to be filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") on or about September 8, 1997, under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act").  Such Registration Statement
relates to the sale by certain stockholders of the Company of 2,879,829 shares
("Shares") of the Company's common stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Common
Stock").

     You have requested the opinion of this firm with respect to certain legal
aspects of the proposed offering.  In connection therewith, we have examined and
relied upon the original or copies, certified to our satisfaction, of (i) the
Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and the
bylaws of the Company, as amended, (ii) copies of resolutions of the Board of
Directors of the Company authorizing the issuance of the Shares, the preparation
and filing of the Registration Statement and related matters, (iii) the
Registration Statement, and all exhibits thereto, and (iv) such other documents
and instruments as we have deemed necessary for the expression of the 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, we have relied, to the extent we have 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 the foregoing examination, we are of the opinion that the Shares
to be sold, as described in the Registration Statement, have been duly and
validly authorized for issuance and the Shares that are presently outstanding
are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the Shares issuable upon
exercise of the Warrants, as described in the Prospectus, when issued and
delivered in the manner and for the consideration stated in each Warrant, will
be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, assuming (i) the Company
maintains an adequate number of authorized but unissued shares and/or treasury
shares available for issuance to those persons holding the Warrants, and (ii)
the consideration received exceeds the par value of such shares.

 
     We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and the use of our name under the caption "Legal Matters"
in the Prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement.  In giving such
consent, we do not admit that we come within the category of persons whose
consent is required by Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder.

                              Respectfully submitted,

                              Jenkens & Gilchrist
                              a Professional Corporation


                              By:   /s/ L. Steven Leshin
                                    ----------------------------------------
                                    L. Steven Leshin, Authorized Signatory