Worthy old law graduate in the Newcastle area (5)
I believe the answer is:
noble
'worthy' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'old law graduate in the newcastle area' is the wordplay.
'old' becomes 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English).
'law graduate' becomes 'BL' (Bachelor of Law).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'the newcastle area' becomes 'NE' (abbreviation for North East).
'o'+'bl'='obl'
'obl' placed within 'ne' is 'NOBLE'.
(Other definitions for noble that I've seen before include "gold coin, now obsolete" , "Titled peer of the realm" , "Illustrious - old money" , "Illustrious, peer" , "Maybe count" .)