**Exhibit 31.1      **

**   **

Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of the Chief Executive Officer

 

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**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**Rule13a-14(a)****Certification of the Chief Executive Officer**

 

I, R. ArthurSeaver, Jr., chief executive officer, certify that:

 

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

 

2.             Basedon my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.             Basedon my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial informationincluded in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, andfor, 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 the registrant and have:

 

a)  Designedsuch disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to the registrant, including its consolidatedsubsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularlyduring the period in which this report is being prepared;

b)  Designed such internal control overfinancial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reportingto be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regardingthe reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financialstatements for external purposes in accordance with generally acceptedaccounting principles;

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's internal control overfinancial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter(theregistrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of this annual report) that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant'sinternal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.             Theregistrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our mostrecent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant'sauditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or personsperforming the equivalent functions):

                a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operationof internal controls over financial reporting which are reasonably likely toadversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial information; and

                b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employeeswho have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financialreporting.

 

 

                                                                Date:      March24, 2008                                                        By:         /s/ R. Arthur Seaver, Jr.      

                                                                                                                                                                                    R.Arthur Seaver, Jr.

                                                                                                                                                                                    ChiefExecutive Officer

                                                                                                                                                                                    (principalexecutive officer)