Steer clear of daughter held by magistrate (5)
I believe the answer is:
dodge
'steer clear of' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'daughter held by magistrate' is the wordplay.
'daughter' becomes 'd' (genealogical abbreviation).
'held by' indicates putting letters inside.
'magistrate' becomes 'doge' (doge is a kind of magistrate).
'd' placed into 'doge' is 'DODGE'.
(Other definitions for dodge that I've seen before include "Evade - sidestep" , "Evade; ruse" , "Avoid cunningly" , "Step sideways to evade" , "A quick evasive movement" .)