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                                                                       Exhibit 5

                            Willkie Farr & Gallagher
                               One Citicorp Center
                              153 East 53rd Street
                            New York, New York 10022



November 27, 1996


LCI International, Inc.
8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 800
McLean, VA 22102

Re:  Registration Statement on Form S-3

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are delivering this opinion in connection with the Registration Statement on
Form S-3 (File No. 333-15623) (the "Registration Statement") originally filed by
LCI International, Inc. (the "Company") on November 6, 1996, with the Securities
and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Act"), with respect to 1,450,115 shares, par value $.01 per share, of common
stock ("Common Stock") of the Company (the "Shares").

We have examined and are familiar with originals or copies, certified or
otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents, corporate records
and other instruments relating to the authorization and issuance of the Shares,
and have made such investigations of law, as we have deemed necessary and
advisable. In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all
signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and
the conformity to authentic originals of all documents submitted to us as
copies.

Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:

         The Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, and are fully
         paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock of the Company.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement referred to above and to the reference to our firm under
the heading "Legal Matters" in the Prospectus included in the Registration
Statement. We do not admit by giving this consent that we
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LCI International, Inc.
November 27, 1996
Page 2


are in the category of persons whose consent is required
under Section 7 of the Act.

Very truly yours,


/s/ Willkie Farr & Gallagher