Defence starts to argue legal issue, blocking injunction (5)

I believe the answer is:

alibi

'defence' is the definition.
(alibi is a kind of defence)

'starts to argue legal issue blocking injunction' is the wordplay.
'starts to' suggests taking the first letters.
The first letters of 'argue legal issue blocking injunction' is 'ALIBI'.

(Other definitions for alibi that I've seen before include "Evidence one was not present" , ""suspect's story"" , "Legal defence - was elsewhere" , "Cover story" , "Evidence of (or excuse for) being somewhere else at the time" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.