About

Advocate, attorney, community and religious leader, mother, and the future of competent political leadership that works for our families are all words used to describe Barbara Scharf-Zeldes, or “Barbie” as her friends and supporters call her.

Barbie’s life has been dedicated to public service and that is why so many encouraged her to run for Probate Court No. Two. It also explains why she has such a strong grassroots network of supporters. For the last 16 years, she has been an attorney for San Antonio police officers, firefighters and their families, helping with legal matters in the areas of family and probate law. As a lawyer for these families, she has guided them through the difficult issues surrounding wills, their estates, and guardianships for seniors and children. 

The hardest cases are those where she represented the widows of police officers who died in the line of duty or due to catastrophic accidents. But because of Barbie’s compassion and competence, she helped ease those families through the difficult issues associated with their loved ones and today, these clients have formed life-long friendships and admire Barbie’s strength in helping them through those trying times.

Michael Harwood, a retired manager of the San Antonio Police Officers Association’s Benefit Fund said, “I‘ve known Barbie for 16 years and her integrity is impeccable. Of all the attorneys who have worked for the police, I’ve never seen one work near as hard or be as devoted to their clients as Barbie is and I’m proud to know her.”

Barbie received the San Antonio Police Officer’s Association Award for Profound Contributions and Dedicated Service to the San Antonio Police Officers Association. It was recognition of her seniority as the longest serving of the lawyers for the Police Officers and service to those families most in need. Sandra Riojas, widow of fallen police officer, Rocky Riojas, recalled how Barbie helped protect her interests and family affairs after her husband died.

“She already knows what we’re walking into. She’s dealt with so many people that are just destroyed and she can sit down with you and stay on target with what needs to get done with us and our children. And she would fight for us. She was on top of everything, we’d never have to wait or wonder. She was understanding and she was stable. And while you don’t know it at the time, you look back and see how she helped carry us through the process and you are just like, wow.”

Barbie has been active in religious service throughout her life. As a child she led services in her congregation. Today, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Congregation Agudas Achim, a former Board Director of the Barshop Jewish Community Center, and is a past chair of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio’s Community Relations Council. She received the Joel A. Toubin Award from the Jewish Federation for leadership and served on the Public Schools Committee.

Her civic service has been broad. She serves as a director for the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, a member of the Rotary Club of San Antonio, and a member of S.A. 100. In the legal community, she is a member of the San Antonio Bar Association, the San Antonio Family Law Section of the Bar, the San Antonio Elder Law Section of the Bar, State Bar of Texas, District Courts Committee of the San Antonio Bar Association, and the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association. She is a mentor for the Community Justice Program and has committed to pro-bono representation each year.

Barbie is certified to serve as an attorney ad litem and guardian ad litem in the Probate Courts and has been appointed to serve by both judges of the courts. In addition, she was trained at the A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center in mediation, and certified as a police instructor by the Alamo Area Council of Governments. Barbie graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American and Legal Studies and received her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Barbie has been happily married to Adam Zeldes, a San Antonio Police Detective, and they are blessed with two children: Justin, 13, and David who is 10.