Exhibit 11(a)

                          [Ropes & Gray LLP Letterhead]

                                              December 21, 2005

Liberty Growth and Income Fund, Variable Series
c/o Liberty Variable Investment Trust
One Financial Center
Boston, Massachusetts 02111-2621

     Re: Registration Statement on Form N-14

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We have acted as counsel to Liberty Growth and Income Fund, Variable Series
(the "Acquiring Fund"), a series of Liberty Variable Investment Trust (the
"Trust"), in connection with the Registration Statement of the Trust on Form
N-14 (the "Registration Statement") being filed by the Trust under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), relating to the proposed
combination of the Acquiring Fund with Nations Value Portfolio (the "Acquired
Fund"), a series of Nations Separate Account Trust, and the issuance of Class A
shares of beneficial interest of the Acquiring Fund in connection therewith (the
"Shares"), all in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of
Reorganization by and among the Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, the
Acquired Fund and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (the "Agreement and Plan of
Reorganization"), in substantially the form included in the Registration
Statement.

     We have examined the Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust on file in
the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the
"Declaration of Trust") and the Trust's Bylaws, both as amended, and are
familiar with the actions taken by the Trust's Trustees in connection with the
issuance and sale of the Shares. We have also examined such other documents and
records as we have deemed necessary for the purposes of this opinion.

     We have assumed for purposes of this opinion that, prior to the date of the
issuance of the Shares, (1) the Trustees of the Trust, on behalf of the
Acquiring Fund, the Acquired Fund and the shareholders of the Acquired Fund,
will have taken all action required of them for the approval of the Agreement
and Plan of Reorganization, and (2) the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization
will have been duly executed and delivered by each party thereto.




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

     1. The Trust is a duly organized and validly existing unincorporated
association under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is
authorized to issue an unlimited number of its shares of beneficial interest.

     2. When issued in accordance with the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization,
the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and, except as noted in the
paragraph below, nonassessable by the Trust.

     The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts
business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain
circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust.
However, the Declaration of Trust disclaims shareholder liability for acts or
obligations of the Trust and requires that a notice of such disclaimer be given
in each note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking made or
issued by the Trust or its Trustees. The Declaration of Trust provides that in
case any shareholder or former shareholder shall be held to be personally liable
solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not
because of his or her acts or omissions, his or her non-compliance with
applicable federal tax law or for some other reason, the shareholder or former
shareholder (or his or her heirs, executors, administrators or other legal
representatives or, in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate
or other general successor) shall be entitled to be held harmless from and
indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. Thus, the
risk of a shareholder's incurring financial loss on account of shareholder
liability is limited to circumstances in which the Trust would be unable to meet
its obligations.

                                              Very truly yours,

                                              /s/ Ropes & Gray LLP

                                              Ropes & Gray LLP