Exhibit 5
February 14, 2011
PAREXEL International Corporation
195 West Street
Waltham, MA 02451
    |   | 
    Re: | 
      | 
    2010 Stock Incentive Plan | 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen:
     We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration
Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to an aggregate of 2,000,000
shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Shares”), of PAREXEL International
Corporation, a Massachusetts corporation (the “Company”), issuable under the Company’s 2010 Stock
Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).
     We have examined the Articles of Organization 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 our 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 certified, photostatic or other copies, the
authenticity of the originals of any such documents and the legal competence of all signatories to
such documents.
     We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer and sale of the Shares
in accordance with the Plans, to register and qualify the Shares for sale under all applicable
state securities or “blue sky” laws.
     We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the state
laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the federal laws of the United States of America.
     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.
     Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized for
issuance and, when the Shares are issued and paid for in accordance with the terms and conditions
of the Plans, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.