George D. Jebaily, Managing Partner of Jebaily Law Firm.
Elected in 2014, George has served the Florence community as an at–large member of the Florence City Council. Since his election, George has worked collaboratively with the other members of Florence City Council, city staff and a wide variety of community partners to help: foster public-private partnerships that further Downtown Florence redevelopment; vastly expand and improve the City of Florence parks system; initiate Neighborhood Redevelopment improvements; encourage a comprehensive approach to reduce Homelessness; and work to improve the quality of life for all parts of our Florence community and move our city forward.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, George moved to Florence when he was 7 years old. After attending Southside Jr. High School and graduating from West Florence High School in 1974 where he served as Student Body President, George pursued higher education at the University of South Carolina, getting his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978 and his law degree in 1982. He then practiced law in Columbia for two years before returning to Florence and joining with his oldest brother, Ronald, the Founding Partner, at Jebaily Law Firm, where he has been practicing law since 1984.
Since 1995, George has been a prominent leader in the efforts to redevelop Downtown Florence. Witnessing its decline during the late 1980s and early 1990s, George joined with then Mayor Frank Willis and a handful of others in 1995 to take action and initiate bold efforts to revitalize Downtown Florence. In 1999, he was named Chairman of the “Florence 2010” committee, which was responsible for the oversight of creating a community vision and Master Plan for Downtown Florence. Following multiple “Town Hall” meetings to gain grassroots community input and working with multiple stakeholders and institutional partners to develop a broad vision, a comprehensive Downtown Master Plan was developed and approved by the oversight committee. George then helped found the Florence Downtown Development Corporation (FDDC), which was charged with working with the City of Florence to oversee the implementation of the Downtown Master Plan, serving as Chairman of the FDDC Board of Directors from 2002 to 2009. He also served as Chairman of the FDDC’s Downtown Master Plan Update Committee, which oversaw the development of the revised Downtown Master Plan that was adopted by Florence City Council in 2011.
From its inception in 2003 until the present, George has also served as Chairman of the South Carolina Pecan Festival, an event which annually brings over 50,000 people to Downtown Florence. In 2014, for all his work on behalf of Downtown Florence, George was recognized by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) as a top 10 finalist for the prestigious national “Trial Lawyers Care” award.
In addition to his work with Downtown Florence redevelopment, George has spent the greater part of his adult life serving on many different boards and commissions. He currently serves as a board member on behalf of the Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority (PDRTA) helping to bring access to public transportation to the entire Pee Dee community, and serves as a board member of the South Carolina Arts Alliance, a state-wide organization in support of the South Carolina Arts Commission. Since 2012, George has served as a featured speaker on behalf of EndDD.org, sponsored by the Casey Feldman Foundation, speaking to thousands of youth and adults on the dangers of distracted driving. Through this outreach, it is hoped that the driving habits of both youth and adults will be altered to make our highways safer for all South Carolina drivers.
George also served as a two-term President of the Florence Little Theatre Board of Directors, on the Arts Alive Committee for over 15 years, and as a board member of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, George is a past board member of Carolina Regional Legal Services Corp, a local entity helping the indigent gain access to affordable legal services.
Working extensively with the youth of our community, George has: served on the board of directors for the Irish Children’s Summer program; volunteered as a coach on various city, Middle School and High School sports teams; worked as an adult volunteer leader with the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts; served as a Middle School and High School Mock Trial Attorney-Coach; served on the School Board for St. Anthony Catholic School; and assisted with Life Teen Youth Group activities.
Licensed in both state and federal courts in South Carolina, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, George is a member of the American Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar Association, the Florence County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ) where he formerly served on their Board of Governors. He is also a charter member of the distinguished Pee Dee Inns of Court.
A member of St. Anthony Catholic Church where he serves as a Lector and as Chairman of the Capital Campaign Committee, George resides in Florence with his amazing wife, Debbie. Married in 1991, George and Debbie have two children, both of whom grew up and went to school in Florence. Their daughter, Kayla, married to Taylor Adams, has her MSW from the University of South Carolina and is employed in Florence as the Director of Philanthropy with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area. Their son, Kirk, a recent graduate from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, is currently working with his family at Jebaily Law Firm. They are a family of pet lovers, as evidenced by their house full of lovable dogs!
For any questions or to get to know George better, call today at 843-667-0400.
