EXHIBIT 5.1

          OPINION OF REGISTRANT'S COUNSEL REGARDING LEGALITY OF SHARES.

Crawford & Company Logo

June 2, 2005

Board of Directors
Crawford & Company
5620 Glenridge Drive, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30342

RE: Crawford & Company Form S-8 Registration Statement

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am Corporate Counsel for Crawford & Company, a Georgia corporation (the
"Company"), and have acted as counsel for the Company in connection with the
preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Registration Statement") relating to
4,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Class
A Stock"), of the Company to be offered pursuant to the Crawford & Company
Executive Stock Bonus Plan (the "Plan"). In so acting, I have examined and
relied upon such records, documents, certificates and other instruments as in my
judgment are necessary or appropriate to form the basis for the opinion
hereinafter set forth. In all such examinations, I have assumed the genuineness
of signatures on original documents and the conformity to such original
documents of all copies submitted to me as certified, conformed or photographic
copies, and as to certificates of public officials, I assumed the same to have
been properly given and to be accurate. Based upon the foregoing, I am of the
opinion that the Class A Stock, when issued and sold in accordance with the
provisions of the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

I consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement.

Very truly yours,

/s/ R. Eric Powers

R. Eric Powers, Corporate Counsel

5620 Glenridge Drive, N.E.,
Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 256-0830