Liberal in Lewisham pleading (5)
I believe the answer is:
ample
'liberal' is the definition.
(I've seen this in other clues)
'in lewisham pleading' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'AMPLE' can be found hidden inside 'lewisham pleading'.
(Other definitions for ample that I've seen before include "Plenteous" , "Plentiful, quite enough" , "Large, accommodating" , "Large, capacious" , "Spacious" .)