Exhibit31.1

CERTIFICATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERPURSUANTTO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, J.Adam Abram, certify that:

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|  | 1.  | I have reviewed thisannual report on Form 10-K of James River Group,Inc.; |

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|  | 2.  | Based on my knowledge, this report doesnot contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state amaterial fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleadingwith respect to the period covered by thisreport; |

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|  | 3.  | Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this report,fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for,the periods presented in this report; |

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|  | 4.  | Theregistrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsiblefor establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (asdefined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internalcontrol over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant andhave: |

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|  | a)  | Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to bedesigned under our supervision, to ensure that material informationrelating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, ismade known to us by others within those entities, particularly duringthe period in which this report is beingprepared; |

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|  | b)  | Evaluated the effectiveness of theregistrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented inthis report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosurecontrols and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisreport based on such evaluation; and |

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|  | c)  | Disclosedin this report any change in the registrant’s internal controlover financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’smost recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscalquarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected,or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’sinternal control over financial reporting;and |

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|  | 5.  | The registrant’s other certifyingofficer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation ofinternal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’sauditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board ofdirectors (or persons performing the equivalentfunctions): |

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|  | a)  | All significant deficiencies andmaterial weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control overfinancial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect theregistrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and reportfinancial information; and |

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|  | b)  | Any fraud, whetheror not material, that involves management or other employees who have asignificant role in the registrant’s internal control overfinancial reporting. |

Date: March  23,2006

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|   |  |    /s/ J.AdamAbram                                     |
|   |  |    J.Adam Abram   President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer                                                                                                                                                                           |
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