A brief hearing in the courts once (5)
I believe the answer is:
atria
'courts once' is the definition.
'atria' can be an answer for 'courts' (I've seen this before). I'm not certain of the 'once' bit.
'a brief hearing' is the wordplay.
'brief' means to remove the last letter (a shorter or briefer version of the word).
'hearing' becomes 'trial' (as in a court case).
'trial' with its last letter taken off is 'tria'.
'a'+'tria'='ATRIA'
'in the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for atria that I've seen before include "Open-roofed courts" , "Central areas in buildings; open to the sky" , "Public spaces with galleries" , "Upper chambers of the heart" , "entrances" .)