A lawyer set free any otter (8)
I believe the answer is:
attorney
'a lawyer' is the definition.
('attorney' can be a synonym of 'lawyer')
'free any otter' is the wordplay.
'free' indicates an anagram.
'any'+'otter'='anyotter'
'anyotter' anagrammed gives 'ATTORNEY'.
'set' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for attorney that I've seen before include "brief" , "Person legally appointed to act for another" , "Legal professional" , "Lawman" , "profession" .)