**Exhibit 31.2 **

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Rule 13a-14(a) Certificationof the Chief Financial Officer 

 

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**Exhibit 31.2**
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**Rule13a-14(a)****Certification****of the Chief Financial********Officer**

 

I, James M.Austin, III, chief financial officer, certify that:

 

1.             I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of  SouthernFirst Bancshares, Inc.

 

2.             Based on my knowledge, this annual report does notcontain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a materialfact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances underwhich such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the periodcovered by this report;

 

3.             Based on my knowledge, the financial statements,and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in allmaterial respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flowsof the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.             Theregistrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishingand maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined inExchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for theregistrant and have:

 

a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or causedsuch disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including itsconsolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b)  Designed such internal control over financialreporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to bedesigned under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding thereliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statementsfor external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accountingprinciples;

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls andprocedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectivenessof the disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period coveredby this report based on such evaluation; and

d)  Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant'sinternal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant'smost recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in thecase of this annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonablylikely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financialreporting; and

 

5.             The registrant's other certifying officer and Ihave disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control overfinancial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee ofthe registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalentfunctions):

                a)  All significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financialreporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant'sability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

                b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant'sinternal control over financial reporting.

 

                                                                      Date:      March 24, 2008                                                            By:         /s/ James M. Austin, III     

                                                                                                                                                                                            JamesM. Austin, III

                                                                                                                                                                                            ChiefFinancial Officer

                                                                                                                                                                                            (principalfinancial and accounting officer)